


All I've Ever Wanted

by TemporarySanity



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And I spell his name Bertholdt not Bertolt, Artist!Reiner, Background Relationships, Bertholdt did not live a happy life, Clinically Depressed!Bertholdt, Dark Childhood, Death Threats, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hand Jobs, He really is a dick though, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mild Sexual Content, Obsessive Behavior, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Past Violence, Pining!Reiner, Reiner and Eren are best friends, Reiner's dad is abusive, Suicidal Thoughts, split personality, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-11-06 19:27:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11042751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemporarySanity/pseuds/TemporarySanity
Summary: If there was one thing in the world that Reiner never thought he would be, it would be an artist. Not only that, but an artist stuck in the biggest art slump of his life.Although after a chance meeting with the beautiful green eyed barista that he had been inspired by the night before, maybe being an artist won't be so bad... Especially if it meant that he could keep his eyes on the boy that he had already fallen in love with.Things always turn out good when it comes to love... Right?





	1. The First Sighting

**Author's Note:**

> I've been looking through the ship tags on this site, and I have become extremely disappointed by the lack of Reiner and Bertholdt where they aren't actually the main focus... I want more of those so I decided to write this in preparation for the upcoming Reibert week of 2017!
> 
> I will add more tags and characters as I go along, but as for now I've only gotten two chapters written so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here. I have the whole story planned out, but whether or not I write the whole thing depends on the reception I get from this - I want more recognition for this beautiful ship!

If there was one thing that he would look back on and laugh about, it would’ve been that epiphany he had as soon as he decided to enroll in this damn school. His parents would always tell him to become something great like a _doctor_ or a _lawyer_ , but for some reason he decided to become an artist.

Well at least he blew out the stereotype of all artists being both skinny and awkward.

Reiner was sitting idly in the room he shared with an old friend from high school, though he could've cared less where Eren had wandered off to for the day. It was the only time he found that he could get any peace and quiet so that he could get his work done… His only problem at the moment was that he had _zero inspiration whatsoever_.

“It's the first day where I've had any sort of peace, and I can't even get inspired enough to paint anything. I might just start painting the damn can of soup I had for lunch yesterday.” Reiner sighed loudly before he placed his paintbrushes down next to his easel, his eyes tracing all over the room to see if there was anything else he could do.

The man in question soon found his gaze wandering out the window of his room, the sound of the heavy rainfall coming in from the open window was almost enough to keep him calm. He continued to look around to see if he could find something worth painting or sketching for what felt like hours, and as soon as he was about to give up and go to bed for the night, he spotted a tall dark haired man standing not far away from his dorm.

It seemed as if the man outside was waiting for somebody or something, since he would continually pull out his phone to check something on it. The young man also didn't seem to be holding an umbrella, the only shade his phone continued to receive from the pouring rain was by the young man's hand.

He seemed to become visibly more uncomfortable and agitated with every passing second that he stood outside, but it didn't take much longer before he stuck his phone in the bag hanging off of his shoulder. The young man rubbed his eyes while shaking, his head turning back to look behind him before his eyes widened in shock at the sight of another boy looking at him.

Reiner felt all the breath leaving his lungs as their eyes met, the young man outside had stunning green eyes with slick black hair that was stuck on his tanned skin because of the rain. It was hard to tell from their current distance, but it looked as if the boy had just finished crying. Before Reiner could open his mouth and call out to the boy, he ran off in the direction of the school gate and left the school grounds.

Reiner’s gaze remained focused on the gate for a few minutes without moving, but he snapped out of it as he turned towards his bed and grabbed the sketch book that he had thrown on it earlier. He opened it to the first blank page that he could find and grabbed his pencil, and he neglected to sleep until he finished sketching the beautiful boy he had seen earlier.

“I need to figure out his name… I need to thank him for getting me out of this stupid art slump. And maybe ask him out for a cup of coffee.” Reiner hummed with a distracted tone as he continued to sketch the boy from earlier, his mood suddenly elated as he sketched for the entire night.

 

* * *

 

“So you really have no idea who that guy is? But I thought you knew everybody in the damn school.” Reiner groaned loudly in exasperation, the sound of his dorm mate texting idly on his phone was slowly driving him crazy.

“I said that I know _almost_ everybody in the school. Besides, I'm not going to recognize somebody with such a vague description.” Eren finally tore his gaze away from his phone so that he could narrow his eyes at Reiner with annoyance.

“What a great friend you turned out to be.” Reiner spoke in a teasing tone as he got up from his spot on the bed, and he was happy to hear the other boy chuckle in response to what he had said. Him and Eren had been friends since they were thirteen, and the fact that they were both twenty and in art school didn't change that. He couldn't ask for a better friend than him, despite his brash and usually frustrating personality.

“Anyway, I'm going to go for a cup of coffee so that I can finish the project we need to do for class. Because unlike you, I don't have a boyfriend to text and distract me.” He laughed loudly once he heard Eren sputter out in both embarrassment and denial, his cheeks now flaming red as he threw his pillow at Reiner.

“Shut up, you asshole!” Eren yelled out before Reiner left the room with a grin, the good mood he was in only becoming brighter after the playful banter with his best friend.

Reiner took a deep breath as he stepped outside and into the cool breeze, since the downpour from the other night hadn't stopped. Although now the downpour was more of a steady rainfall, so he decided that it would be best to jog over towards the nearby coffee shop that was only a block away from the school.

After jogging for a few minutes, he let out a breath of relief when he finally felt the warmth and smell of the coffee shop overtake his senses. The jingle of the bell was a sound that was welcoming to his ears, and the fact that his sketchbook had been rather unscathed by the rainstorm only heightened his good mood as he walked up to the counter.

“I'd like a large coffee, black, no sugar, and a strawberry danish to stay.” Reiner rattled off his usual order without looking up from the sketchbook that he held in his left hand, he then grabbed his wallet so that he could fish it out and give the cashier the money.

“Of course. Could I get your name so that I can call for you when your order is finished?” The smooth voice of the cashier was enough to make Reiner swoon a little, but he froze on the spot when he looked up and spotted a familiar face on the other side of the counter.

It was the boy from last night.

His gaze never once left the eyes of the boy across the counter, and it seemed like he recognized Reiner since he hadn't moved an inch either. They continued to stare at each other for what felt like hours, but they were interrupted by a loud cough coming from behind Reiner that signaled somebody's obvious impatience.

“Reiner. My name is Reiner… And you can keep the change.” Reiner dropped a $10 bill on the counter before moving over towards a table in the corner of the room to wait for his order. He opened his sketchbook so that he could look at the picture he had stayed up all night sketching, and he knew at that very moment that his picture didn't even compare to the real person.

Reiner looked up at the beautiful barista at the counter, the smile on his face never seeming to disappear even as he talked to the customer at the counter. He felt a strange wave of jealousy go through him when he realized that the impatient man from earlier was flirting with the barista, and he barely managed to contain his anger at the situation.

He eventually looked back down at the sketchbook in his lap in an effort to calm down, except he felt another rush of affection go through his body when he looked at the picture on the paper. It was after another minute of him looking at the picture that he realized just how deeply he wanted to know this person…

This man that he only saw for the first time last night.

The one with the beautiful eyes, the adorable smile, the smooth voice, the tan skin, the lean muscles, and…

“Reiner?” Reiner snapped out of his dazed state when he realized that the barista had been calling out his name, his gaze snapping up to see a worried look on his face over at the counter.

“Sorry about that. Just ask any of my friends and they'd tell you just how absent-minded I am, erm…” Reiner looked at the man across the counter after he had gotten up to grab his order, his sentence left in the air just to see if the barista would catch on.

“I apologize… Did my name tag fall off again? I'm Bertholdt.” The dark haired barista gave him a polite smile, though it seemed as if he was still nervous and continued to fidget on the spot.

“Bertholdt? I've been in this area my whole life and I've never seen you around before. Did you just move here?” He looked at Bertholdt curiously, hoping desperately that the conversation could continue for even a little longer so that he could keep hearing that beautiful voice.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Bertholdt finally seemed to understand that Reiner wanted to keep a friendly conversation going. He scratched at his head nervously before speaking, his voice still a little shaky despite his polite smile. “Yes. My parents moved here from Germany about two months ago, and they wanted me to come along with them… I guess they thought that all of our lives would be better here.”

“So we're both from Germany…” Reiner mumbled to himself quietly, than he looked into Bertholdt’s eyes with a wide grin and spoke with an excited tone. “I'm enrolled at the art school just a block away from here, and I've been having an artists block recently. I have an art project due soon, so I was thinking of asking you if you could… Maybe… Help me out?”

Bertholdt tilted his head in confusion at the statement, his already beautiful face was scrunched up a little as he tried to think about what Reiner meant. “Help you out… How?”

Reiner felt a deep blush spread across his cheeks as he started to feel embarrassed for the first time in his life, and the look on the cute barista’s face only made his voice stutter more as he spoke. “I want you to be my model. Or you could just give me advice... If you don't mind, of course. I won't force you or anything.”

“I don't… Oh my god.” Bertholdt’s face soon became much darker as he blushed hard. He buried his face in his hands and let out a long string of incoherent mumbles before nodding his head, which was probably one of the cutest things that Reiner had seen in his entire life.

“So… Is that a yes?” The tone in his voice was hopeful as he looked at the flustered boy in front of him, his eyes soon lighting up with happiness when Bertholdt graced him with both his flustered face and the same bright smile as before.

“Of course. But first I have a request of my own…” Bertholdt looked around nervously before he leaned forward on the counter, his voice now a low whisper so that nobody else could hear him. “Don't say anything about what you saw last night. I'm not ready to let anybody know about that… Please.”

Reiner was now more curious than ever about what he saw last night, but he refused to compromise the budding relationship that he was forming with the beautiful boy. He nodded his head and reached his hand out in a friendly gesture, a huge grin now plastered on to his face at the prospect of getting to know Bertholdt. “It's a done deal.”

Bertholdt let out a quiet sigh of relief as he reached out and shook Reiner’s hand, the bright smile on his face now seemed to become infectious. “Thank you. Now that we have that out of the way, we can exchange phone numbers and arrange a meeting.”

“Great! I'm looking forward to it!” He no longer even cared that both his coffee and his danish were cold. He got both the name and number of the beautiful boy he had spent all night sketching, all out of pure luck. Once they finally exchanged numbers, he promised Bertholdt that he would text him to arrange a meeting before he sat down at his table from before.

The thought of meeting up with Bertholdt was the only thing on his mind for the rest of the day, and he didn't regret a single second of that meeting.

_Hopefully he felt the same way, so that this dream could one day become reality._


	2. One Day, I'm Going to Marry Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sketchbook in his lap seemed to become the only welcome distraction he could find, since he had decided to open it up to the page with his sketch of Bertholdt that he had admittedly become obsessed with.
> 
> The boy that he was completely and utterly obsessed with.
> 
> The boy he had already fallen in love with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everybody who motivated me to post this new chapter! I've been feeling so much good Reibert vibes from the new episodes of the anime, so I thought... Why not post this?
> 
> This chapter is nothing but fluff and cuteness between the two loveable idiots, so no need to worry!
> 
> The angst comes in the next chapter~

“I swear that you're being even more annoying than usual. I even got a text from Ymir that said ‘ _I think he's finally lost it. Come save me and Historia before I beat his head in with his phone_ ’ because you spent the whole day texting and laughing.” Eren groaned in frustration when Reiner seemed to ignore him in favour of looking down at his phone, and he soon felt a vessel pop in his head before he reached over and took the phone from him.

“Hey! What the hell, man? Give that back to me before I throw your ass off the bed and _make_ you give it back.” Reiner reached over and tried to take the phone back, but Eren refused to give in and crossed his arms behind his back in an effort to prevent him from taking the offending object away from him.

Once another minute of silence passed between the two of them, Eren grinned in triumph when he saw that Reiner temporarily gave up the fight for his phone. “You've gone days without even so much as looking at your cellphone. Now you're acting as if this thing is your lifeline. Care to explain the sudden change of mind?”

Reiner felt a smile creeping onto his face at his friend's words, and he couldn't help but laugh when the boy in question gave him a slight look of discomfort. “If you really must know… I made a friend yesterday morning. Well, I'm hoping that he'll agree to go out on a date with me, but right now he's just an absolutely gorgeous boy who's willing to put up with me.”

“Dude, that's insane. Nobody but the people who knew you as teenagers would want to be friends with you.” Eren scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, though it was easy enough to see that he was just playing around and didn't have any real words of mirth.

“You know… Ever since you've been getting frequent rides on Levi’s dick, you've been a lot easier to deal with. You'll have to thank the little shorty for me.” A loud laugh echoed through the room when he felt his phone make contact with his face, and the sound of Eren’s angry voice only served to make him laugh even harder.

“Go spit your rainbows somewhere else! God, I wish that poor boy luck if he's going to keep putting up with you.” Eren got up from the bed and walked out of the room, his ever so short temper flaring out behind him as he left.

After Reiner managed to stop laughing, he looked down at his phone and noticed that there was a text from Bertholdt that was sent only a few minutes ago.

**Angel Eyes (11:46 AM):**

_I'm sorry if you're busy today, but could we meet up if you're free?_

**Reiner (11:51 AM):**

_If it's for you, I'd clear up my entire week just to make time. Did you have a time or place in mind?_

**Angel Eyes (11:55 AM):**

_The place is up to you, since this was your idea. But can we meet up around… Maybe 6? Of course, if you'd rather not hang out than that's fine._

**Reiner (12:01 PM):**

_Nonsense! 6 is a great time to meet up. We can meet up at the bookstore here at my school, since it's open until 9 tonight. I'd say we could hang out in my room, but my roommate is probably going to bring his boyfriend back here and you don't need to see that._

**Angel Eyes (12:10 PM):**

_That’s… Okay. Just give me the directions and I'll be there at 6. Also, tell your friend to be safe so he doesn't limp to class tomorrow morning._

**Reiner (12:13 PM):**

_Will do! I'm going to text you the directions before I embarrass Eren in front of his boyfriend._

**Angel Eyes (12:14 PM):**

_Be nice, Reiner._

**Reiner (12:16 PM):**

_I will, I promise! I'll see you and tell you all about it at 6!_

 

* * *

 

Reiner was playing with the rim of his coffee cup as he waited for Bertholdt to show up at the store, and his nerves continued to waver with each second that passed. He knew that he was ten minutes early for the meeting, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about _what if Bertholdt decided to ditch him_?

Each time the bell above the door chimed, he refused to look up and become disappointed that the boy he was waiting for wasn't the one who came into the store. The sketchbook in his lap seemed to become the only welcome distraction he could find, since he had decided to open it up to the page with his sketch of Bertholdt that he had admittedly become obsessed with.

The boy that he was completely and utterly obsessed with.

_The boy he had already fallen in love with._

“Were you waiting here for too long? I thought I was always the one who showed up early for meetings.” The soft voice that filled Reiner’s ears was enough to make him look up and smile, the sight of Bertholdt now sitting in the chair across from him had finally snapped him out of his daydream.

“I got here early, but I wasn't here for long so you don't have to worry about it.” Reiner felt like smacking himself when his voice cracked a little in the middle of his sentence, though it seemed like Bertholdt either didn't notice or didn't care about the stutter.

Once the dark haired man across from him placed his bag on the small table, he hummed quietly and fidgeted nervously as he looked down at the table. “So… You said you needed help with something? Do you need my advice? Do you need me to be a model? You weren't exactly clear on what you wanted from me.”

Reiner pulled the sketchbook away from his lap and placed it on the table, and he made sure it was closed before looking at the fidgeting boy across from him. “I need you to be the model for my next piece. We're supposed to do a rough sketch of something that we find aesthetically pleasing, than we need to bring it to life by painting it with bright colours.”

“Aesthetically pleasing…” Bertholdt seemed to contemplate the words for a moment, and it didn't take long for a dark blush to creep across his face when he realized just what those words meant. “Oh my god… This is embarrassing.”

“You can say no! I'm not forcing you or anything, I just thought that… Well, I know that Eren and Historia are painting their boyfriend and girlfriend, and I thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to paint an aesthetically pleasing person. Like they are.” Reiner scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, his usual chipper demeanor seemed to fade when Bertholdt just kept quiet.

There was a few more beats of silence before Bertholdt mumbled something quietly, his voice almost too soft for anybody to hear. “It's okay. I'll do it, I was just shocked… I'm happy that somebody has finally noticed me.”

He wanted to comment on what Bertholdt had said near the end of his sentence, but he didn't want to ruin the mood so he clapped one hand down on the table as he started laughing. His smile was wide when he saw that Bertholdt was smiling back at him, and he felt as if he was on top of the world at that moment. “Great! You have no idea just how grateful I am to hear that!”

“Reiner…” Bertholdt reached into his bag and pulled out a small notebook before writing something down in it, his hands a little shaky as he slipped it back inside after only a few seconds. “I'm not usually very busy because I haven't been enrolled in university yet. Aside from my job, I haven't got much else to do… So you can arrange the sessions however you want.”

“It's due next weekend, so any moment that we're both free would be great! I've already had a week to work on it but I only just found my muse. You're practically a lifesaver right now!” Reiner let out a huge sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair casually, the tension finally easing from his shoulders for the first time in over a week. “Hey, I’ve also been thinking… Can I just call you Bert? It's much easier than saying Bertholdt.”

Bertholdt covered his mouth and chuckled at the statement before nodding his head, his eyes shining with (what Reiner hoped to be) both admiration and happiness. “That's fine. You're certainly not the only person who has told me that before.”

“That's good, because my roommate keeps pestering me for your name since he seems to think I'm spending a lot of extra time with you. Well, too much time texting you. He wants to know the name of ‘The man who made me less of a prick’, apparently.” He looked over at the dark haired boy across from him to gauge his reaction, and he was happy to see that Bertholdt’s expression never changed. “Oh yeah! And his boyfriend got mad and kicked my stomach _really_ hard.”

“Oh my god! What did you say to him?” Bertholdt looked panicked, his expression soon shifting into one of frustration when Reiner simply laughed at the question.

“I thanked him for screwing Eren and loosening him up.”

“I told you that was a bad idea!”

“Whoops.” Reiner shrugged his shoulders and spoke in a teasing tone. He kept his eyes on Bertholdt the entire time, and he found himself unable to look away when he was graced with another quiet laugh and a smile.

“At least you're having fun. I'm looking forward to when we can start that picture, and maybe I can meet some of your friends? You're the first friend I've made since I've been here.” Bertholdt seemed to fidget and become nervous after he spoke, as evident by the sweat that started to form on his forehead.

“My friends would be happy to meet you! Most of my friends didn't enroll in the art school, obviously, but my best friend just so happens to be my roommate. I think the best place to have our first official session is at my room… Unless your place is free?” The look of dread on Bertholdt’s face was enough to make his heart to sink into his stomach, so he tried to cheer him up by waving his hands around wildly and laughing loudly. “Eren can deal with it! He can stay with his boyfriend for a little bit while we work!”

Bertholdt let out an audible sigh of relief at the words, his expression softening almost instantly before he spoke again. “I don't want to intrude on you, but… It certainly would be better if we could go to your place for the sessions. My parents don't really like me having company over for very long.”

The amount of questions he wanted to ask Bertholdt became staggering, but he chose to keep his mouth shut for the moment and nod with understanding at the statement. “I hear you. I'll get everything set up once I get back to my room in preparation for your arrival! Eren will just have to learn to deal with it.”

“I'd love to go today, but it's already 7 and I promised my father that I'd be back around 7:30. We can definitely still text and work everything out accordingly, so don't worry about that.” Bertholdt grabbed his bag from the table and slung it over his shoulder. “Thank you for meeting up with me today on such short notice, Reiner.”

“It wasn't a problem for me at all. In fact, if I could, I'd spend every day hanging out with you. You look exhausted and I'm happy to help with that.” Reiner grinned and stood up just after Bertholdt had, his eyes lighting up when he noticed that the other boy was looking at him with a tender smile on his face. “What?”

“It's nothing. I just think that I got lucky by finding you.” Bertholdt walked out of the bookstore alongside Reiner, his hands fiddling with the strap on his bag for a few moments before he let an awkward smile slip onto his face.

There was a few more seconds of silence before Reiner clapped a hand on the taller boys shoulder, a huge grin on his face as he turned to part ways with Bertholdt. “I'll text you tomorrow, yeah? We'll meet up the next time you're free.”

Bertholdt nodded his head to show him that he was okay with that idea, than he turned away and started to walk in the opposite direction and over towards the gate of the school.

Reiner placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath. Once he finally saw that the other boy had disappeared beyond the gate, he let out the breath he had been holding in and grinned even wider than before. The last thought on his mind before he walked back to his dorm was one that he couldn't help but let out once he saw his friends again.

_One day, I'm going to marry him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I made any mistakes, feel free to point them out as usual! I'm working on getting chapter 4 written, but I'm also going to start working on the prompts for Reibert week... I'll still get these chapters up as quickly as possible!
> 
> Hopefully I can stick to uploading every Monday morning for everybody~!
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	3. You've Sealed the Deal Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bert, are you sure that you can do this? I was just trying to position your head a little before you flinched like that…” The furrowed brow was now replaced with a look of pure concern when Bertholdt started to shake more than before, his expression becoming one of fear as Reiner spoke to him.
> 
> “I'm okay! I just… I'm not really used to people being this gentle with me. You can tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. Please. I want to be helpful for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EPISODE 36 OF ATTACK ON TITAN. IT KILLED ME.
> 
> I WANT TO LOVE BERT AND REINER. (And now releasing this chapter after that episode came out seems cruel... But alas, I strive on this sort of thing!)
> 
> Trigger warnings for a panic attack and referenced abuse, so I apologize in advance for anybody who finds that sort of thing uncomfortable...
> 
> Please enjoy~!

“You know, I've never seen him so worked up before. I hear that his parents even had to call him and tell him to calm down before he blew a fuse.” A boy with two-toned hair, Jean, looked over at Reiner and laughed as he continued to scramble around the dorm room in an effort to set things up. He threw his arm around his boyfriend, Armin, before shifting his gaze back to Eren and Levi.

Armin hummed as he snuggled even closer to Jean, since there was very little space left on Eren’s bed with four people sitting on it. “Just let him do whatever he wants. After all, he reminds me of a lovesick teenager from one of those teenage drama shows.”

“It's annoying.” Levi grunted as he moved around on the bed, and he soon found himself sitting in Eren’s lap so that they could save more space.

Eren let out a small grunt of pain after Levi plopped down in his lap, but he didn't do anything to push him off or try to get him to move. “You know that I invited all of you here so that we could meet this friend of his? Why don't we all try to do what we can to keep him calm?”

Reiner grunted a little in frustration when he continued to listen to the people behind him talk as if he wasn't there, but he didn't do much to stop them from talking. He placed a stool at the foot of his bed and finally managed to grin when he figured that Bertholdt could sit at the foot of his bed, though he nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone beeped to notify him that he had gotten a new message.

 **Angel Eyes (1:42 PM):**  
_I might be a little late to our meeting. My father wanted me to… Well, I helped him out with some things and I'm just cleaning up the mess._

Reiner furrowed his brows a little in confusion at the wording of the text, and he was even more confused at why Bertholdt had waited until fifteen minutes before their meeting to text him.

 **Reiner (1:46 PM):**  
_That's fine with me. I just finished setting everything up, so you can come over whenever you're ready. Eren invited a few of his friends over, too, so be careful and prepare yourself for the meeting!_

 **Angel Eyes (1:49 PM):**  
_Thank you for the warning, Reiner. From what you've told me before, it sounds like I need a lot of preparation._

 **Reiner (1:53 PM):**  
_Keep on your toes! I'll keep my spirits up to help you prepare for the mess. I'll see you soon, Bert!_

“You having boyfriend troubles?” Jean looked over at Reiner with a teasing grin, and even the glare that the blonde man gave him wasn't enough to make his grin waver.

“No. And he isn't my boyfriend. He's going to be here late, so you guys can leave if you really want to.” Reiner looked between the four men sitting on the bed with the same narrowed glare, but he soon found his gaze going back to his phone with a frown.

Eren looked over at his friend with a concerned gaze etched onto his face. He felt his body relax a little when he felt Levi’s gentle fingers stroke the side of his neck, and he very much surprised himself as he spoke without his voice shaking. “Reiner… Are you really okay? You suddenly look very upset, especially since you told me yesterday that you-”

“I'm fine. I'm just going to finish setting up for my meeting.” Reiner brushed off his friend's concern and started to focus on the sketchbook that was on his bed instead of continuing what we was doing before. He reached out and grabbed the book, opening it up a minute later so that he could focus on the two other portraits of Bertholdt that he had drawn earlier that day.

The other four men in the room stayed as quiet as possible while Reiner looked down at sketchbook that he had opened up. Armin looked over at Eren to try and gauge his reaction to Reiner, and his eyes widened when he noticed that he was shaking a little in fear. “Eren? What's going on?”

“Huh?” Eren blinked at Armin’s question, almost acting like he hadn't heard him before. He shook his head before putting a neutral expression on his face and moving further back until he was right up against the wall. “Don't worry about it. He should be fine, so long as we stay quiet.”

Reiner chose to ignore the other people in the room for what seemed like hours, the only thing snapping him out of his current state of mind was the sound of his phone going off again. He looked down at his phone and smiled when he saw that Bertholdt had texted him only seconds ago.

 **Angel Eyes (2:29 PM):**  
_It just occurred to me that I never asked you where you were living. There's so many dorms that I can't pick out the right one…_

 **Reiner (2:33 PM):**  
_The first building to your right after you come through the gates. Just go to the second floor, and my room is 104. It'll be fine, so long as you're good with directions._

 **Angel Eyes (2:36 PM):**  
_My sense of direction is just fine, you jerk. I'll be there in a few minutes, and I deeply apologize for making you wait so long._

 **Reiner (2:37 PM):**  
_Don't worry about it! See you in a few!_

Reiner looked up from his phone and grinned, his mood suddenly seeming to improve dramatically once he got the texts from Bertholdt. He placed the sketchbook back down on the bed and stretched his legs out with a loud pop, and his gaze drifted over to the people in Eren's bed. “What's up? You're all looking like you saw a ghost.”

“Eren… You really need new friends.” Levi sighed and looked away from Reiner so that he could focus his attention solely on his boyfriend, no longer even paying attention to anybody else in the room.

“You're telling me.” Eren mindlessly played with Levi's hair as they all waited for the person in question to show up.

There was only a few more minutes of silence before there was a quiet knock in the door, and Armin nearly jumped out of his skin when Reiner stood up so quickly that his stool got knocked down onto the floor. The sound of two voices carried through the room only moments before Reiner came back, this time with a boy that was a few inches taller than him.

“Guys, this is Bertholdt. The blonde kid is Armin, the guy beside him is his boyfriend, Jean. The brown haired guy in the corner of the bed is my roommate Eren, and the guy in his lap is his boyfriend, Levi.” Reiner couldn't suppress the joy he was feeling by having Bertholdt in his dorm with him. He soon ushered the taller boy over to his bed and instructed him to sit down at the foot of it, not becoming deterred in the slightest at the sounds of his friends snickering at him.

“It doesn't seem like we'll get to tease him very much. Should we just take our leave?” Jean grabbed Armin’s hand and climbed off the bed with him, Eren and Levi following behind them shortly after.

Reiner snorted once everybody had bailed almost as soon as they had met Bertholdt. He knew that they all simply wanted to gauge Bertholdt to see if he was able to be trusted to stay here in the room, but he found that he couldn't really bring himself to care much when the boy in question was looking at him with a bright smile.

“They seem nice. They didn't really need to leave though…” Bertholdt hummed as he watched Reiner finish what he was doing. He placed his hands on his knees and rubbed his sweaty palms against the fabric of his jeans, his nerves about being alone with Reiner in his dorm room now starting to settle in. “So… What do you need me to do? Should I just sit here, or… Should I pose?”

After a minute of quiet contemplation, Reiner moved up to Bertholdt and scrutinized him closely. He raised his hands up and placed them on his face gently to try and get a closer look at him, his expression becoming grim when he noticed that the dark haired boy flinched almost instantly at the contact against his face. He pulled away and furrowed his brows when he could see that Bertholdt started to sweat even more than usual.

“Bert, are you sure that you can do this? I was just trying to position your head a little before you flinched like that…” The furrowed brow was now replaced with a look of pure concern when Bertholdt started to shake more than before, his expression becoming one of fear as Reiner spoke to him.

“I'm okay! I just… I'm not really used to people being this gentle with me. You can tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. Please. I want to be helpful for you.” Bertholdt’s voice started to crack near the end of his sentence, almost as if he was trying to suppress the urge to cry and break down. He looked at Reiner with a panicked expression, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he continued to shake hard enough that even Reiner noticed.

Reiner desperately wanted to ask Bertholdt why he was so scared of their close proximity, but he bit his tongue and kept his words to himself as he grabbed his sketchbook. He looked at the panicking boy on his head and tried his best to comfort him with a reassuring smile on his, and he felt his heart leap up with joy when Bertholdt visibly relaxed at the gesture.

They sat in a comfortable silence for nearly two hours before Bertholdt excused himself so that he could go to the washroom, so Reiner took that time to stand up and stretch out his limbs. He let out a loud and satisfied moan when he felt his limbs pop with the motion.

After almost fifteen minutes in the bathroom, Bertholdt came back and took the seat he had before at the edge of the bed. He crossed his legs and stretched both of his arms down in between his legs, his hands becoming buried in the warmth of his thighs. His pose became even more relaxed as he turned his head back into the original position from before he had gone to the washroom. It didn't take him long to turn his head towards Reiner when he didn't hear the telltale sign of his pencil moving across the paper, and he started to fidget under the scrutinizing stare from the blonde haired boy.

“Bert… Why were you in there for fifteen minutes? I know you don't have a stomach ache and it doesn't take that long for anything else. Also, this fell out of your pocket as you got up on the bed.” Reiner flashed a small case of concealer that he had picked up while Bertholdt had been positioning himself, his eyes now narrowed in suspicion when the other boy just stared at him with fear in his eyes.

“I… It's… I like to put on concealer because I've got a few scars that I like to hide. Is that a problem?” Bertholdt could see that Reiner didn't believe him, so he started to panic even more at the continued scrutinizing that was given to him. He started to breathe heavily before covering his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking heavily as he started to hyperventilate.

“Bert? Bert!” Reiner dropped the concealer and slowly moved closer to Bertholdt and started to panic when he heard the boy on the bed yell loudly, almost as if he was in pain despite the fact that nobody was touching him. He stopped his hands just before they reached Bertholdt’s shoulders, his heart slowly breaking when he realized that touching him would probably just make things worse.

“Bertholdt!” Reiner shouted as loudly as he could, but he also made sure that his voice had a gentle tone behind it. He watched as the dark haired boy flinched at the use of his name, but he soon stopped shaking and looked over at Reiner with an expression that held nothing but fear in it. His eyes were bloodshot from the amount of tears that flowed, and it was now obvious to see why he was wearing all that concealer on his face.

His face was littered with bruises and scratches.

There was a violent shot of pure rage that went through Reiner’s whole body at the sight of the boy he loved looking so bruised and broken, his hands soon curling into fists at his sides to try and quell the rage he was feeling.

Reiner reached a hand out slowly and carefully so that he could run his fingers gently over the bruises. He frowned when Bertholdt flinched but didn't pull away from the touch, almost as if he was too scared to pull away from him… Almost as if he thought that Reiner would hit him for pulling away.

“I'm sorry… I should probably head back home for the day. I told my parents that I'd be back for supper time.” Bertholdt knew that Reiner could see through his lie, but he still pulled away from the gentle touch before getting off the bed. “You don't need to talk to me anymore if you don't want to. I apologize for looking the way I do.”

“Bertholdt. Just wait a minute. There are some things I need to clarify before we do this again… Because I want to keep doing this. The bruises and cuts on your face won't ever change my opinion of you, no matter where they came from.” He tried what he could to keep Bertholdt from leaving him so suddenly, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the boy in question turned back to look at him.

“What do you want to know?” Bertholdt didn't move or blink once he turned to look at Reiner, his face almost seeming to be devoid of any emotion at the moment.

“You don't have to tell me what happened since I'm sure that it's personal, but I just want to know if you'll be okay if we continue this. And if anything happens to you… And I mean anything. Don't hesitate to talk to me, or even come to me. I want you to know that you aren't alone, Bert.” The silence that followed his words were almost deafening to him, and the feeling of a shaky hand touching his shoulder nearly made him jump in shock. He looked up and felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of Bertholdt’s smile, the tenderness in his eyes was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“Thank you. Those words mean more to me than you'll ever know.” Bertholdt leaned down and blushed a dark shade of red before placing a nervous kiss on Reiner’s cheek. Once he pulled away, he fidgeted a little on the spot with the same bright smile as before. “I'll see you later, yeah? And the next time we meet… I can tell you everything. Because you deserve at least that much for being so kind to me.”

Reiner felt his face heat up with a dark blush, though he didn't get any more words out before the taller boy kissed his cheek again before leaving the room. He backed up until he felt his body hit the wall, and he slid down until he hit the floor. He reached up and touched the spot where those soft lips had touched his skin with a dopey grin on his face.

_I guess I really do have a chance with him._

_You've sealed the deal now, Bertholdt._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, if I made any mistakes please be kind and point them out! It's almost a chore to be my own proofreader, but I'm managing! The next chapter is already written, but I'll still stick to my schedule of updating every Monday morning~
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter - The next chapter is the start of the real Reibert, so look forward to it~!
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	4. The Beauty of the Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So I'm not the only one? This whole little dance could've been avoided if either one of us had just said something at the start.” Reiner slowly raised his hands up and placed them on Bertholdt’s shoulders. He breathed another sigh of relief when the dark haired boy didn't pull away from him, and he even snuggled even closer to him than before.
> 
> “But I enjoyed the dance. Maybe we could've had it last a little longer? I guess this isn't so bad either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DIED. THAT FINAL EPISODE WAS PERFECT. REINER JUST WANTED TO PROTECT THE BOYFRIEND.
> 
> *coughs*  
> Anyway, I need to clarify something before you read this! The legal drinking age where I'm from is 19 so that's why this first part has them in a club. You know... Before people point that kind of stuff out.
> 
> This chapter is pretty much pure fluff, so I hope it's a good jump from the last chapter! Please enjoy~

Reiner tapped at the counter of the bar slowly and surely, his eyes scanning the room for anything that could distract him from his current train of thought. It had been two days since he had last seen Bertholdt, and even though he got his project finished, Bert never did tell him about the scars. All that happened was that Bert came back on the last day with even more scars than before.

_I'll tear out the intestines of whoever beats Bert. Who thinks they have the right to raise a hand to him?_

He knew that Bertholdt never specifically told him that he was being beaten by anybody, but it wasn't hard to see that the reason he had continuously been gaining scars was for that very reason. The fact that the dark haired boy was dealing with the pain by himself was more painful than a punch to the throat.

“Lighten up a little bit, man. You've been killing the mood with your sour expression.” Ymir was sitting beside him at the counter, and it seemed as if her attention had finally shifted away from her girlfriend. She slapped him on the back with a huge grin on her face, her next words coming out in a playful manner. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No.” Reiner glowered at Ymir before turning his attention back to the drink on the counter in front of him, his gaze becoming unfocused as he gazed at the clear liquid in his glass. A few more seconds of silence passed before he sighed and shook his head. “I mean, I don't wanna ruin the mood for everybody here. You can all dance with your significant others while I sit over here and over think too many things.”

“You know, even Annie is starting to hate you more than usual. Which is saying something, because she always hates you.” Ymir sighed and turned in her seat, her expression becoming serious for the first time that night. “Eren has Levi, I have Historia, Armin has Jean, Annie has Mikasa, and Connie has Sasha. You can't tell me that you've never let it weigh down on you that you're the only single person in this group.”

A few moments of quiet contemplation made him realize that Ymir was right, although he didn't understand why she needed to bring up the fact that he was single at that moment. “What does me being single have to do with any of this?”

Ymir scoffed and switched her serious expression back to a smirk. “Oh please. You're as easy to read as a book when it comes to your interests, and you can't deny that your new damn friend… Bertholdt? Holds a way different place in your heart than the rest of us. At least I hope so, for your sake.”

“I've already told you I'm gay, so you're fine. Historia is safe from my undeniable charm.” Reiner finally managed to put a genuine smile on his face for the first time since he last saw Bertholdt. “You managed to see through my ruse and notice that I'm in love with him already… You're sharper than I ever gave you credit for.”

“Oh please. I've always been amazing, and I'm surprised that it took you until now to notice that.” The grin on her face stretched even wider than before, and she nodded her head back in the direction of the dancefloor. “I'm gonna go dance with Historia. If you need a little more advice, just go ask Eren or something. He definitely knows you better than anybody else here.”

Reiner was about to make another comment on what Ymir had said, but she walked over to the dancefloor with her girlfriend before he could get another word in. He looked back down at his drink and furrowed his brows in deep thought, and he felt as if he had been drilled through completely by her line of questioning and her words. He hadn't even known that anybody else even knew about his history with Eren.

_She's sharper than a sword. I better keep my eye on her._

His expression became softer when he looked back up and saw that all his friends were dancing with their significant others on the dancefloor, his bad mood from before seeming to have disappeared when he noticed that all of them were smiling and enjoying themselves. He soon looked back down at his phone and decided to send a message to Bertholdt, since he found himself becoming lonely after he remembered his teenage years that he spent with Eren.

 **Reiner (10:41 PM):**  
_You still up? I'm feeling lonely while looking at all my happy dating friends._

Reiner looked down at his phone and started to scroll mindlessly through his social media apps for what felt like hours. The beeping noise coming from his phone made him grin like an idiot, since the one person he was hoping to hear from had sent him a message.

 **Angel Eyes (10:52 PM):**  
_And talking to me is so much better? I doubt I'm all that interesting._

**Reiner (10:56 PM):**  
_I'll always prefer talking to you. There's almost nothing more awkward than the resurfacing memories of the days when you were dating your best friend… This is soothing._

**Angel Eyes (10:57 PM):**  
_You used to date Eren? You never told me that before._

**Reiner (11:01 PM):**  
_Yeah… Things ended on an awkward note. Anyway, you free for a late night of Netflix marathons? I'll be fine if you say no, but I'd feel even better if you said yes._

**Angel Eyes (11:03 PM):**  
_I can handle that. I'll be at your dorm around 11:30, if that works?_

**Reiner (11:06 PM):**  
_Absolutely. I'll leave this dingy bar and I'll see you soon, Bert!_

“I'm heading back to the dorms for some late night Netflix marathons with Bert. You guys think you can carry on without me?” Reiner slid his phone into his pocket and wandered over to the dancefloor. He could see everybody give him questioning looks, though Eren and Ymir gave him knowing smirks after another minute.

“Sure thing. I'll go stay with Levi tonight so that I don't bother you.” Eren snickered before turning his attention back to Levi, who seemed more than happy at the prospect of Eren staying over at his place for the night.

“Go get ‘em, tough guy. Sounds like Bert could stand to be loosened up a little.” Ymir laughed loud enough to draw attention to the group, and she only laughed louder when she felt Historia hit her back with a headbutt.

Reiner grinned and turned to walk away from the group of friends, his only thought in mind being about the night he was going to make Bertholdt understand just how much he truly loved him.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the clock struck 11:25, there was a timid knock on the door that was followed by a quiet ‘ _Am I intruding?_ ’ that was almost quiet enough that Reiner nearly missed it. He practically ran over to the door and straightened out his pajama pants before opening the door, and he almost melted at the sight of Bertholdt wearing a pair of dark blue pajamas that had small cat heads stitched into it.

He felt himself fall in love all over again.

“You're just in time! I got a bowl of popcorn made, and I got my laptop setup so that we can both chill out on my bed together.” Reiner could see that Bertholdt was having trouble keeping his gaze away from his bare chest, so he decided to cut the other boy a break by turning around and walking over to the bed. “You have anything in mind for what we could watch?”

“No… I was hoping you had some ideas? I don't tend to watch much TV so I don't really know what's good and what isn't.” Bertholdt coughed awkwardly as he walked over to the bed and sat down on it, his face still as bright as ever as he sat next to Reiner.

“Not a TV buff, huh? I get it. My mom just watched a lot of TV when my dad wasn't home, which was most of the time, so I got to watch a lot of it myself. Maybe we can watch a comedy to lighten the mood? Or wait! Do you like horror stuff?” Reiner continued to ramble on without really looking at the other boy on the bed next to him. After a moment of silence, he looked back and noticed that the boy in question simply stared at the screen of the computer with a smile on his face.

“It was your idea, so we can watch whatever you want. As long as it isn't anything corny I think it'll be okay.” The dark haired boy brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rested his chin on his knees and looked over at Reiner with the same smile as before. “Horror is fine with me.”

Reiner scrolled through the recommendations on his Netflix account to see if he could find a movie that could (hopefully) make Bert scared enough to turn and wrap his arms around him… Though hopefully not enough to make him scream and run out of the room.

Once he finally managed to pick a cheesy slasher movie from the 1980’s, he climbed off the bed and rummaged through the closet for a moment until he found an oversized blanket that his mother had given him last Christmas. He climbed back onto the bed and stretched the blanket out enough to wrap around the two of them. The resounding squeak of embarrassment coming from Bert was just a special bonus to Reiner’s ears.

“I can't believe you have a blanket that's big enough to fit the two of us together…” Bertholdt mumbled in slight embarrassment at the current situation, but he didn't move from his position as he blushed an even darker shade of red than before. He fidgeted a little bit before looking down at the screen, and it seemed like he was the type to scare easily since he was already jumpy and the opening credits had only just started.

_Score! Time to get some cuddling from Bert tonight._

Bertholdt hadn't even reached out and grabbed any of the popcorn or moved from the position he was currently sitting in. He kept his gaze focused solely on the screen in front of him as the killer took his blade and chased after a poor girl that had just wandered into the woods, and it seemed as if she had temporarily escaped her fate since the footsteps behind her stopped.

“Eek! Oh my god!” The dark haired boy squeaked loudly when the killer jumped out from behind the tree and started to stab her stomach as she screamed for help. He turned towards Reiner and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, burying his face in his neck to try and hide his look of sheer terror.

Reiner felt his entire body heat up and his stomach filled with butterflies after Bertholdt had buried his face into his neck. He knew that he was going to feel good, but he didn't realize just how good the other boys body felt against his own… And he barely managed to shift his body around to hide his erection by the time Bertholdt looked up again.

“I'm sorry!” Bertholdt tried to pull away from Reiner, but he squeaked loudly in surprise when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him back. He took a shaky breath and mumbled something incoherent into Reiner’s neck, though he seemed to make it a point to be as quiet as possible so that he couldn't be heard properly.

“Bert? You can speak up when it's just the two of us, you know. I like hearing you talk, after all.” The blonde haired boy chuckled when he heard Bertholdt grumble a little in frustration before only pulling back far enough to glare up at Reiner. He could see that there was no real mirth in the glare he was given, so he simply chuckled again at the adorable sight of a playfully angry Bertholdt.

“I said that you need to stop giving compliments to me if you don't mean any of those words.” Bertholdt now had a serious look on his face as he looked at Reiner closely. The serious look was a little offset by the dark blush that crossed his cheeks and went to his ears, but it was obvious that he meant every word he had just said.

Reiner fidgeted a little at the scrutinizing look from the other boy. His own face soon became a dark shade of red as he blushed hard, the close proximity their faces was now even more apparent than before. “I… I do mean those words. Do you even realize just how adorable and beautiful you are, Bert?”

There was a tense moment of silence that filtered through the room after the confession, the only sound currently filling the silence was the movie that had been completely forgotten. The silence was becoming worse and worse for Reiner with every passing second, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he saw that Bertholdt had started to tear up.

“Reiner… I feel like you're playing a cruel joke on me. Don't make me believe that you care for me when I know that you don't mean any of this.” Bertholdt tried to pull away from the hold again once he finished speaking. He was still as shaky as he had been before, but this time he let his head hang down so that he could hide his crying face from Reiner. “I can't do this if it's fake. I can't have somebody pretending to love me again… I'm sorry.”

“Wait! Bert, I'm being completely serious about this! You want me to show you how serious I am?” Reiner reached out and gently placed a hand on the other boys shoulder, and he breathed out a sigh of relief when he didn't flinch or pull away. He still refused to move from his current position on the bed though, so Reiner reached over and placed a gentle hand on Bertholdt’s chin to lift his head up. “If you don't pull away from me now, than you won't ever be able to again. I want you to know just how serious I am about you. Even if you don't feel the same way as I do, I'd still die to protect you from the evil of this world.”

Bertholdt looked at Reiner with a shocked expression, his tears had finally started to slow down as he noticed just how serious Reiner seemed to be about this. He let out a choked sob before speaking again, and his voice was quiet and shaky as he let a small smile slip onto his face. “Could you show me? Show me how serious you actually are… Please.”

Reiner took a deep breath at Bertholdt’s quiet plea, since he knew at that very moment that this was going to end either very good or very bad for both of them. He moved his hand so that he was now cupping the other boys face, and he took one more deep breath as he leaned forward and placed his lips over Bertholdt’s.

He was going to pull away when he heard a small noise coming from Bertholdt, but his eyes flew open when he felt a pair of soft hands touch his bare shoulders. He let the dark haired boy push him down onto the bed slowly and carefully, his movements still a little cautious just in case he thought that Reiner would want to pull away from him and stop what they were doing.

_As if I'd ever want this moment to end._

“I've been wanting to do that since we first met…” Bertholdt pulled away from the other boy and smiled down at him. He kept his hands on Reiner’s shoulders as he positioned himself a little better, their faces only inches apart from each other.

“So I'm not the only one? This whole little dance could've been avoided if either one of us had just said something at the start.” Reiner slowly raised his hands up and placed them on Bertholdt’s shoulders. He breathed another sigh of relief when the dark haired boy didn't pull away from him, and he even snuggled even closer to him than before.

“But I enjoyed the dance. Maybe we could've had it last a little longer? I guess this isn't so bad either.” Bertholdt buried his face in Reiner’s neck and took a deep breath, his eyes slipping shut as he relaxed his body completely. “Can we… Can we stay like this? Even if it's just for a few minutes… I feel good here. Safe. Like I belong.”

Reiner moved one of his hands up to Bertholdt’s head so that he could run his fingers through his hair, his own eyes slipping shut as he relaxed his body. Normally he would be against the idea of having somebody else aside from him and Eren sleeping in the dorm, but he found that he didn't care about that right now. He had always felt good when Eren would fall asleep on top of him… Though he felt a stronger tug at his heart when Bertholdt asked the question, making him realize now more than ever that this was what he truly wanted in his life.

_A life with Bertholdt is the only life I can picture myself having._

“You can stay here for as long as you need. You can even stay the night, if you're okay with that.” The silence between them only lasted a few seconds, and Reiner felt his heart skip a beat when all he heard from Bertholdt was a light snore that had indicated that he had fallen asleep once he got Reiner’s answer.

“Oh, Bertholdt… I think I've fallen so hard for you that I'll never be able to get back up. Not that I'm complaining.” Reiner turned his head so that he could kiss the top of Bertholdt’s head gently. He had decided to just close the lid of his laptop and slide the bowl of popcorn down on to the floor, since they had both been long forgotten in favour of what was going on at that very moment.

Reiner moved both his arms so that he could wrap them around Bertholdt’s shoulders and hold him close. He took one more deep breath before falling into a deep sleep, his spirits as high as ever as he fell asleep with this beautiful boy asleep in his arms.

_If I believed in miracles, than I would say that this is a miracle. But I don't._

_What I do believe in is love, and that is exactly what this is._

_I am hopelessly in love with him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff and a little bit of romantic interactions between the two of them - Normally I'm a fan of slow burns, but I felt like these two would get together rather quickly because they're both romantic dorks who just want to be happy!
> 
> The next chapter is mostly a lot of talking with a little fluff and a bit of Ereri in it. So anybody who doesn't like that ship might be a little disappointed... Sorry, but I can't resist putting my all my favourite ships in a story~
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	5. The Long Afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there was anything in his life that he hated and regretted, now was the time he could forget about all of that. Every single bit of his time and attention… Every single thought in his mind was currently occupied by the dark haired boy that was sleeping so peacefully on top of him.
> 
> I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this before I went to bed... And look at that! I managed! It's 1:50 AM here and I'm forcing myself to stay awake so I can give you guys this new chapter!
> 
> So I hope you like it! It's got more talking than anything, but you know... There's always a chapter or two like that in a story. Also, a lot of Eren.
> 
> Because I also adore that beautiful child. Alongside Reiner and Bertholdt~

There was the bright sunshine and the sounds of birds chirping that helped Reiner wake up from the most peaceful sleep that he had in months. It almost seemed as if everything that happened last night was a dream, and the only reason he knew that it happened was because he felt a heavy weight on top of him. He turned his head and looked at the mop of black hair that belonged to Bertholdt, his gaze becoming soft when heard that the other boy was still snoring lightly while he relaxed.

Reiner hummed in content when he felt Bertholdt adjust himself a little bit to get more comfortable. It seemed like the other boy was a deep sleeper since he refused to even open his eyes after Reiner kissed the top of his head, though he did mumble a little more as he continued to snore and sleep peacefully.

If there was anything in his life that he hated and regretted, now was the time he could forget about all of that. Every single bit of his time and attention… Every single thought in his mind was currently occupied by the dark haired boy that was sleeping so peacefully on top of him.

_I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now._

“Bertholdt? You should probably get up… I don't think it's a good idea to stay here all day despite the fact that I would love that.” Reiner ran his fingers through Bertholdt’s hair and pinched the top of his head slightly enough to try and not spook him. He tilted his head a little when the other boy simply snored again, and he was surprised that somebody could be such a deep sleeper.

“ _Bert._ ” Reiner shook Bertholdt a little harder when he just got another loud snore. After another minute of trying to shake him awake, he finally managed to get Bertholdt to shift a little before looking up and blinking rapidly to try and wake himself up.

“Huh? I thought I went to go sleep in my bed with…” Bertholdt seemed to have caught himself before he said something he didn't want the boy beneath him to hear, and he replaced his tired expression with a dopey smile. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Reiner’s lips, his eyes filling with a little more light as he felt himself wake up a little more. “Nevermind that. Good morning to you, Reiner.”

“Mm, good morning. I've been trying to wake you up for the past fifteen minutes. You sure are a heavy sleeper aren't you, little Berty?” The blonde haired boy grinned before leaning up and kissing Bertholdt again. He playfully nudged his nose into Bertholdt’s neck and kissed him a few more times, his mood becoming even more elated when he got a positive reaction from the other boy.

Bertholdt soon wiggled around enough so that he could sit up and move beside Reiner. He sighed and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands to cure the exhaustion from himself, and he grumbled to himself quietly before he made a movement to get out of the bed. Though he stopped after another moment and let out a loud squeak of surprise. “Reiner… I'm still in my pajamas.”

Reiner laughed loudly as he rolled out of the bed and sat next to Bertholdt. He placed a hand on his shoulder before standing up and moving over to his dresser, opening up the drawer and grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt to toss over at the boy still sitting on his bed.

“There you go. They'll probably be too short for you, but the width of the shirt might make up for that. Because I'm not nearly as tall as you but you are a glorified toothpick.” Reiner chuckled when Bertholdt mumbled something incoherent under his breath. He noticed that the other boy started to fidget and shake a little bit after a moment, and his mouth soon dropped open with shock when he realized exactly why his friend was looking uncomfortable at the moment. “Oh… Do you want me to turn away while you change? I can do that, if you want.”

“Ah… Yes. I'm still not sure if you should see me in such a bare state just yet.” The dark haired boy spoke quietly with a downcast expression, his hands clasping the clothes in his lap with nervousness as he waited for Reiner to look away from him.

The nervous disposition and fidgeting that he noticed in Bertholdt was enough to make him become concerned, but he didn't want to push the subject further and make the situation even worse. So he turned around and fished his phone out of the pocket of his pajama pants while Bertholdt got dressed, sliding through his list of contacts until he found just who he was looking for.

**Reiner (10:02 AM):**  
_What do I do when I get together with somebody, than they subsequently refuse to let you see them naked?_

**Eren (10:05 AM):**  
_This is what you needed to text me about so early in the morning? I'm glad you had a moment with Bertholdt, but you're asking that question to the wrong person. Remember what happened after our first date? It didn't involve much clothes._

**Reiner (10:07 AM):**   
_I know that, you jackass. I just thought that since your current boyfriend is such a prude guy that you probably didn't sleep together after your first date._

**Eren (10:10 AM):**   
_You thought way wrong, fuckface. Now why don't you just let things go at a slow pace? Your friend just seems like the nervous type._

**Reiner (10:12 AM):**   
_I painted a much different picture of your boyfriend… Anyway, you're right. Thanks for the amazing advice, Eren. He might finally done getting dressed anyway!_

**Eren (10:13 AM):**   
_Yeah, no problem. Now let me go back to cuddling while you have your existential crisis._

Reiner smiled down at his phone after he read the last text he was sent from Eren, and he remembered exactly why he had started dating the boy back when they were teenagers. His gaze remained locked on his phone for only a few more moments before he turned back to look at Bertholdt, his phone nearly dropping from his hand when he saw the other boys bare back.

It was completely covered in welts and bruises. Most of them being recent… At least from what he could tell.

He turned his head back before Bertholdt noticed him looking at the scars on his back. He had thought that the dark haired boy had finished getting dressed, but it seemed as if he had finally gotten the courage to change in the same room as Reiner. He looked back down at his phone and sent one more text to Eren before turning back to face Bertholdt.

**Reiner (10:16 AM):**   
_Bertholdt, he's… We need to talk about something. I think Bertholdt is being abused by somebody. He won't talk to me about it, but I want to talk to you… I know you went through something similar as a kid so I desperately need to talk to you._

“You ready to head out? You can keep my clothes for as long as you want them. Want me to give you a ride back?” Reiner got the confidence to look at the boy still standing by his bed, and he smiled when he saw that his shirt was wide enough to hang off of his shoulders. The pants looked a little short, but they seemed to fit him perfectly fine otherwise.

“That would be great. I've got a shift at the cafè that starts at 11:30, and I won't make it there if I have to walk back home and get ready first.” Bertholdt looked down at the shirt and blushed a dark shade of red, his expression softening when he looked up and saw that Reiner was now standing right in front of him and grinning. “And thank you for the clothes. I'll try and give them back to you as soon as possible.”

Reiner placed his hands on Bertholdt’s shoulders and stood on the tips of his toes so that he could place a soft kiss against the other boys lips, and he smiled into the kiss just before pulling away. After he pulled away from the kiss he went back over to his dresser to pull out his own outfit, which was a long sleeve white shirt and a pair of jeans that had holes in the knees.

“Let's get going. I'll wait for you outside your house until you're ready for work. Or wait! We can go out and get breakfast before I drop you off. How does that sound?” Reiner prattled on without even looking at Bertholdt, but he knew that the boy in question was going to agree since he just walked behind him closely as they left the room.

Reiner jumped a little in shock when his phone went off. He had almost forgotten that he sent Eren a text earlier, though he waited to look down until they had gotten into the car to go out to breakfast.

**Eren (10:23 AM):**   
_You sure know how to ruin a mood, you know that? I'll be back to the dorm around 2-ish, since that's when Levi starts his shift at work. I'll talk to you about what you need, but don't exactly expect a cheery little Eren when you get back to the dorm. But really… Take care of him. Nobody deserves to go through that._

Reiner took a shaky breath before pocketing his phone, his hands shaky as he pulled out of the parking lot and went to a small drive-through to get breakfast for him and Bertholdt.

_This is going to be a long afternoon, I think._

 

* * *

 

“So what do you need me to explain? I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be, since there are a lot of different ways people deal with abuse. The way I dealt with it was obviously much different than how Bertholdt is dealing with it now.” Eren was sitting on his bed as he looked over at Reiner, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the wall.

“He keeps telling me that he's going to explain where he gets the wounds, but he refuses to mention anything about it. And of course I'm not going to bring it up now… Though it doesn't look like he's doing anything to _himself_ to deal with it, he had almost terrifying panic attacks whenever I had brought it up before. I know you don't like remembering that stuff about your past, but… I don't know what else to do.” Reiner scratched the back of his neck and let out a shaky breath once again. He looked up at Eren and noticed that he was staring at him with a serious expression, his arms still crossed over his chest in thought.

“I'm not going through it anymore so I don't really mind. Besides, you know that I'd do whatever I can to help you.” Eren's expression soon shifted into a much softer expression, his eyes showing his genuine kindness as he uncrossed his arms and tilted his head before speaking again. “If he's not willing to talk about it, you need to watch his movements closely. I wouldn't go so far as to look through his phone… But try to watch his reactions to certain things. If it's one of his parents it'll be harder to gauge, though it won't be impossible. My word of advice is to slowly ease him into a confession with your own kind words and gestures.”

Eren rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and flashed his right wrist, reminding the blonde haired boy about how he dealt with the stress of his own abuse. His smile stayed tender as he rolled his sleeve back down and looked at his best friend. “Don't let it get to the point where he does that to himself. It's not worth it.”

“Eren… Thank you.” Reiner smiled over at his closest friend and nodded his head to show his appreciation. “I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I see anything. You seem to be his favourite out of all my friends, despite the fact that he knows we used to date. You doing well with Levi?”

“Yeah, I really think so. I've only been with him for a year, but I don't think I'll ever want to be with anybody else but him for the rest of my life. I love him so much… I'm thinking that I might ask him to marry me soon. I've been meaning to ask you your opinion on it, and maybe ask if you wouldn't going ring shopping with me someday?” Eren blushed a dark shade of red as he fidgeted on the bed, and he could no longer keep his expression on the blonde haired boy as a way to hide his embarrassment.

“Are you serious about that? That's _amazing_ , Eren! There's nothing I would love more than to go ring shopping with you. You must really like him if you're planning on proposing to him.” Reiner got up and walked over to Eren as quickly as his body would allow him. He wrapped his arm around the boys shoulders and hugged him close to his side, a wide grin on his face as he whispered his next words with a playful tone in his voice. “So when do you want to go shopping? Maybe you should wait until you're a little less sore? He'll probably want to celebrate the engagement.”

Eren moved his hands up and pushed against Reiner to try and get him to move, but he soon gave up the struggle and groaned loudly as he was put in a playful headlock. “You're so damn annoying. What makes you think he'll even say yes? You're being way too chipper about this.”

“Oh _please_. You see the way he looks at you? He looks at you as if you're the only person in the world who even matters to him. Go for it! I want to see you happy.” Reiner finally released Eren with a grin, his eyes still shining playfully as he spoke again. “You hear me?”

There was a quiet moment of contemplation that was written all over Eren's face as he thought about those words. After another moment of silence, he looked back at Reiner and nodded his head. “Okay. You free tomorrow? I'll go shopping tomorrow and propose to him tomorrow night… Hopefully.”

Reiner moved to sit back down in his own bed, but not before he grabbed his sketchbook so that he could continue the sketch he had started earlier that day while waiting for Eren to return to the dorm. He ran his fingers over the sleeping face of Bertholdt with a tender smile, his expression softening again while he listened to Eren move around the room for a minute before sitting down next to him.

“Hey. You going to be okay? I know that you tend to slip into different personalities when you're stressed… So I just need to know. I'm glad you're happy for me, but your happiness is important to me as well you know.” Eren didn't look down at the sketchbook since he knew that his friend was usually a very private person, but he still placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Bert than myself. Especially since I can't find a way to help him… But you know, he did become a little assertive when we together last night. This morning, too.” Reiner continued to run his fingers over the sketch gently, his tender smile not once leaving his face as he looked down at it. “I hope he shows that side of himself again soon.”

“I'm happy to hear that. Now that you've got a crush and I'm going ring shopping tomorrow, why don't we spend the evening binge watching terrible comedy shows after getting some take out? Maybe some Chinese food or something.” Eren hummed while getting out of the bed and going over to his jacket. Once he slipped his jacket and shoes on, he looked back at Reiner with a grin as he grabbed his car keys. “You're buying, though.”

Reiner laughed loudly when he grabbed his jacket and shoes, as well as his wallet and his cellphone. He walked next to Eren and slapped his back hard, and he made sure that his grin matched the one that his friend had on his face. “Sure thing, lover boy. Just make sure you get the nicest ring tomorrow since I'll be getting the good food.”

_I know there was once a time where I could say ‘I love you’ to this boy in front of me._

_But now all I can think about is the tall boy with tan skin, green eyes, dark hair…_

_I'll make sure to tell him ‘I love you’ soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter pales a little more compared to the other four, but I do hope you still enjoyed it! The next chapter might be late because I've got a a lot of work next week, but I'll still try to get it out on time for you all~!
> 
> Also, there is more Reiner/Bertholdt interactions in the next chapter. But things start getting a little dark again, so I apologize in advance. ;.;
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	6. Remember That This is Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner nervously reached over and slid his hand towards Bertholdt to see if he would pull away if he tried to hold his hand. He felt his heart soar when the dark haired boy was the one who closed the distance and clasped their hands together.
> 
> Have I died and gone to heaven?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance if I made any errors with my editing, but... You know, instead of celebrating Canada day (the birthday of my amazing home country~) I've been trying to cope with the fact that my grandmother just passed away on Friday... I've been lazy with everything since that happened.
> 
> But I'll try to work out what I can! You all help motivate me, and this story is always a pleasant distraction from real life~!

“ _What?_ But I thought it was only supposed to be the two of us going shopping. Why exactly do you need to bring Bertholdt with us on this trip? If he gets the wrong impression, I'm not going to be the one explaining what's really going on.” Eren fished his keys out of his jacket pocket before starting up his car, Reiner next to him in the passenger seat that almost seemed too small for him.

“It'll be fine! After all, I already told him that you're going shopping for a ring so that you could propose to your boyfriend. I didn't ask him to come either… He just asked if he could come with me so that he could get out of the house.” Reiner scratched the back of his neck nervously as Eren pulled out and started to drive in the direction of Bertholdt’s house. He looked out the window and watched the street signs pass by, his nerves getting the better of him when they continued to get closer and closer to his house.

Eren simply hummed in reply to what Reiner had said, since he really didn't want to start any unnecessary lines of questioning between the two of them. He looked over at Reiner and noticed that he was still fidgeting awkwardly in his seat as he looked out the window, and he sighed loudly just as he pulled up in front of Bertholdt’s house. “Look, I know that you're feeling nervous about this but it'll be fine. I can go looking for a ring, and you can… I don't know. Maybe take him to the food court or something? Like a date.”

Reiner was about to make a comment about the idea of a date at the food court, but his voice died in his throat when he saw that Bertholdt had already noticed their arrival and was walking towards the car.

_He looked absolutely adorable._

He was wearing a dark green turtleneck that had a cute white cat stitched into it (Bert seemed to have an odd fascination with cats), a pair of dark brown slacks and a cute pair of white shoes. He also had a black leather bag slung over his shoulder, and he finished off the look with thick framed glasses.

_Wait._

_When did he start wearing glasses?_

“Thank you for picking me up. I've been going crazy since I've been stuck in the house after I got back from work yesterday.” Bertholdt smiled as he climbed into the back seat of the car, though it was a tight fit for somebody that was as tall as he was. He looked into Reiner’s eyes through the rear view mirror with a furrowed brow as Eren started to drive again. “What is it?”

“When did you start wearing glasses? I've known you for almost a month and I've never seen you wear them before.” Reiner could see that the other boy was uncomfortable with the line of questioning, and that only made him more curious as to why he was wearing the glasses.

“It's… Just an aesthetic thing. I like to wear them since they make people notice me less, and they're a good way to finish off this outfit. Don't you think so?” Bertholdt started to twirl a long strand of his hair with his index finger nervously after he finished speaking, his gaze soon leaving the two people in the front of the car.

“If it's any consolation, I'm happy that you're coming along. Reiner can be a pain in the ass to go shopping with so you'll be a welcome distraction for him.” Eren chuckled as he turned into the parking lot of the mall. He looked back at Bertholdt and gave him a kind smile to try and lighten the mood.

Bertholdt looked up at Eren and smiled back at him, his eyes lighting up in a way that showed how happy he was with those words. “I don't mind… Both the idea of being Reiner’s distraction and helping you shop for a ring. I've always liked the idea of weddings.”

As everybody got out of the car, Reiner nervously reached over and slid his hand towards Bertholdt to see if he would pull away if he tried to hold his hand. He felt his heart soar when the dark haired boy was the one who closed the distance and clasped their hands together.

_Have I died and gone to heaven?_

“Okay you two. Now I'm going to go shopping for a ring, and you have to decide whether or not you want to come with me or if you want to be all lovey dovey with each other somewhere else.” Eren crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head with a playful smile on his face.

“Let's go with Eren first. I did promise him that I'd go shopping with him last night.” Reiner squeezed Bertholdt’s hand to reassure him that everything was fine, and he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest when the gentle squeeze was returned. “Let's go.”

The three boys walked into the mall without sharing any more words between each other, since Eren was noticeably nervous and Reiner could barely form any words because of how truly happy he felt at the moment. Bertholdt stayed close to Reiner and refused to leave his side for even a moment, though he really couldn't find a reason to complain since the boy in question smelt absolutely _divine_.

“We're finally here. I… Might be here for a while. I want to make sure that Levi gets a ring that's befitting for somebody like him. It's got to be strong, beautiful, and unbreakable.” Eren fidgeted around a little on the spot just outside of the store. He took a deep breath when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked back to give Reiner an appreciative look. “Thanks.”

“That's what friends are for, right? Now let's go shopping!” Reiner squeezed Bertholdt’s hand as he gently dragged him into the store ahead of Eren, and he went straight to the ring display to see what he could find. He grinned when he heard Eren mumbling to himself as he followed behind them closely.

Eren looked down at the selection of engagement rings that were reasonably priced for somebody like him. His eyes traced along the gems of each one to see just which one he wanted to pick for Levi, and his focus was soon taken away from both of the men beside him.

“So you like the idea of marriage, huh?” Reiner playfully nudged Bertholdt’s side once Eren became distracted, and he couldn't suppress an even wider grin from spreading across his face when he noticed the dark blush cover the dark haired boy's cheeks.

“A lot of people do… I'm not the only one. You're such a jerk sometimes, you know that?” Bertholdt puffed his cheeks a little in frustration at the words, but he didn't really seem to be mad at Reiner for what he said.

“You like that about me, don't you? I'm told that it's a _very_ redeeming quality of mine.” Reiner laughed loud enough to have one of the cashiers look at him with mild annoyance, though there wasn't much that the cashier could do since he was there as a customer. He quieted down after a moment of mild laughter, and he looked back up at Bertholdt with a smaller grin than before. “Sorry about that. I'm fairly loud while doing any activity, unless it's painting or sketching.”

“It's fine. I like being around people who make it a point to keep others entertained, because that's how you can really figure out the difference between the good people and the bad people. You're one of the good people, Reiner.” The dark haired boy looked away and blushed an even darker shade of red, his expression becoming one of embarrassment when he realized just what he had said.

Reiner was about to make a comment on it, but Eren had tapped him on the arm to try and get his attention. He looked down at where his best friend had pointed, and it was obvious that he was becoming more and more unsure of which ring he wanted to get.

“I can't figure it out… I'm sorry for bothering you while you have your heart to heart with Bert, but I just… I don't know if any of these rings are good enough for Levi. I don't have the budget for something nice and fancy for him.” Eren sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He kept his gaze focused on a pair of rings near the end of the case, and it seemed as if he was almost ready to give up and go home.

“He won't mind what you get him. I've only met him once, but I can tell from his expressions alone that he loves you more than anything else. You could probably give him a rock tied to a string and he'd accept it.” Bertholdt felt two pairs of curious eyes on him after his statement, his usual nervous demeanor coming back as he hid his face with his free hand and mumbled something incoherent to try and hide his embarrassment.

“Sounds to me like I need to start befriending the right guy. Reiner here can't sweet talk his way out of anything, though to be honest I'm surprised that he managed to sweet talk you into being friends with him.” Eren nudged Bertholdt playfully in the side, and Reiner was genuinely shocked when there wasn't even so much as a flinch coming from the boy beside him. In fact, there was a small that Reiner had thought was meant only for him.

_I feel my blood boiling with rage. I shouldn't… Eren wouldn't do that to me. He's my best friend. We've been through everything together._

_And Bertholdt said that I was the first person he got close to after he got here._

_I'm the only one he loves… Right? Or does he even love me at all?_

“ _Reiner_. Earth to Reiner! What the hell is even going on in that head of yours to make you space out like that? I've been calling your name for like two minutes, and you're hurting Bert by squeezing his hand too hard.” Eren was trying to gently pull Reiner’s hand away as he spoke, but he didn't have to struggle for long since it seemed like the man in question finally seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in.

“Shit, sorry! I was over thinking things and forgot where I was for a minute.” Reiner felt his heart sink when Bertholdt pulled his hand away once the grip was loosened up, his gaze now downcast as he folded his hands together behind his back.

_Oh god, what have I done?_

“Umm… We should get back to the rings. Eren was trying to tell you that he thinks he found just the right one, and he wanted your opinion on it.” Bertholdt seemed a lot more distant than he was before, since the action of Reiner squeezing his hand was enough to scare him away… Though hopefully it would only be a temporary scare.

Reiner looked away from Bertholdt and over towards where Eren had been signaling, and he took a deep breath before he spoke again. “It really matches his eyes. I like how the jewel also seems to pop out from the rest of the ring... It looks beautiful, Eren. I'm serious.”

“I'm glad you think so. Now I'm going to go talk to the friendlier looking cashier over there and get his help with the ring, and you two can wander around for a bit while I get things figured out and finalized. You two look like you need to talk about something important.” Eren smiled and waved at them before walking off to the counter, and the man at the counter simply responded by leaning forward and sniffing the young man's head closely.

After another second of watching Eren fidget at the older man's actions, Reiner decided that it would probably be a good idea for him to take Bertholdt somewhere else so that they could talk about what had happened earlier. “Let's go get some food. I guess I've got some explaining to do, huh?”

Bertholdt nodded and followed the blonde haired boy closely, though unlike before he made no effort to reach out and hold his hand. Once they got to the food court, Bertholdt just decided to move away so that he could sit down and wait for the boy in question to get their food.

Reiner sighed and went up to the small Chinese food place and ordered what he wanted for the two of them. He didn't even bother to look up at the cashier as they were talking, since the cold treatment from Bertholdt was making his heart sink more and more with each passing minute.

_I was hoping that I would never scare him like that… Hopefully he understands._

“Thanks for the food.” Reiner grabbed the small tray and walked over to where the dark haired boy had been sitting and waiting for him, and he made sure to gently place the tray down so that he didn't scare Bertholdt any further.

“Thanks for getting the food, Reiner.” Bertholdt finally looked up at Reiner, a small smile on his face that seemed to be incredibly forced. He didn't reach out and take any of the food, though he reached out and grabbed the small pop that Reiner had ordered alongside the food.

“It's not really a problem… My parents have a lot ways to pay for my things so it's not really an issue for me.” Reiner was about to say more, but he was interrupted by his phone going off. He smiled at Bertholdt before looking down and seeing who it was, and when he saw it was Eren, he thought it would be best to reply before talking to Bert again.

**Eren (1:37 PM):**   
_I'll let you and Bert have some time to talk. I'll take a walk around the mall, so just text me when you're ready to head out!_

**Reiner (1:39 PM):**   
_It might be a while, but thank you for this. I'll be sure to let you know when we're ready to go!_

“Sorry about that. Eren just wanted to tell me to send him a text when we're done talking.” Reiner grabbed a little bit of rice and dumped it into the small bowl he was given, never once taking his eyes off of Bertholdt as he did so.

“That's fine. It'll be nice to finally clear some things up, so he might be waiting a while. He seems like a good friend.” The dark haired boy grabbed a chicken ball and popped it into his mouth, his movements still looking hesitant with every move that he made.

I just hope that he doesn't think I'm a monster and leaves after this…

“We've been friends since we were teenagers, so I've known him for a long time. But… You know, the reason I was squeezing your hand so hard was because I felt jealous of you smiling at Eren. I had it in my mind that you only smiled that way at me.” Reiner could see that Bertholdt was about to say something, but he held his hand up to stop him since he hadn't finished speaking just yet.

“That's not all it is though. I've had this strange quirk since I was a kid… I think my mother called it dissociative personality disorder. The me you see in front of you right now is the person I've been most of my life, but that other part of myself? It's why I don't have very many friends. Everybody thinks I'm just this screwed up kid from a dysfunctional family… That's the furthest thing from the truth. My parents have put up with me my entire life, and they're part of the reason why I'm the person I am today.” He almost felt out of breath with how much he was speaking, but he noticed that Bertholdt was paying very close attention to what he was saying so he continued.

“That other part of myself has made it impossible to gain and keep any friends. I've also been known to become extremely jealous and possessive of any guy I date, and that's usually what ends my relationships. The only person I ever dated who stuck around was Eren, even though he'd seen me at my worst and dealt with my mood swings. That's why I treasure him as a friend… And that's all he is now. Because the only person I want to be with is you, Bertholdt.” Reiner somehow managed to look into Bertholdt’s eyes to gauge his reaction, and he felt like his heart was about to jump into his throat when he saw that the other boy was smiling back at him with a dark blush on his face.

“It's okay. All of that is okay. I can understand where you're coming from, so there's no need to worry. Did you think I was going to resent you after those words? I mean… I'm not fond of your past with Eren, but that's already come and gone.” Bertholdt folded his hands together in his lap and started to fidget a little where he was sitting, his eyes leaving Reiner’s before he spoke again. “Did you… Did you mean what you said? About wanting to be with me?”

“Of course I mean it. What happened between us two nights ago… I want that to continue. To kiss you, hold you, and tell you just how damn beautiful you are. Are you willing to stay with me despite everything I just told you?” Reiner started to fidget a little when there was nothing but silence coming from the boy across from him.

Bertholdt ducked his head down again so that Reiner couldn't see his face. His shoulders started to shake a little to the point where it looked like he was crying, but it seemed as if he was starting to laugh before looking back up at Reiner. There were a few tears in his eyes, though they were tears of happiness as he smiled up at the other boy.

“You would need to do a lot worse than that to keep me from liking you. I'm willing to handle that side of you no matter what happens, I'll stay with you until the very end.” Bertholdt blushed an even darker shade of red when Reiner reached over and unfolded one his hands, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing it while looking into his eyes.

“If that's the case, than I would like to ask you this properly. Bertholdt Hoover, would you like to be my boyfriend?” The look in his eyes expressed the joy he was feeling about everything that was going on, and his smile only got wider when Bertholdt smiled back before nodding his head.

“More than anything. Thank you for everything, Reiner.” Bertholdt moved his hand back to his side slowly. His expression never once changing, and he folded his hands back together with the same bright smile on his face from before.

Reiner grabbed his phone and sent out a quick text out to Eren as he grinned with happiness.

**Reiner (2:11 PM):**   
_After the best conversation of my life, I am no longer the single guy of the group. Also… Can you come get us? You are our ride after all._

**Eren (2:13 PM):**   
_Sure thing, you stud. I'll be there in a few minutes. I also expect the whole story from you._

**Reiner (2:14 PM):**  
_Oh you can count on that!_

_I can proudly go out and say that this beautiful man in front of me is my boyfriend._

_There's nothing that can make this day worse._

_I can't wait until I can say to him ‘I truly love you.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't finished the next chapter yet, but I'm close! I'll probably type a little more after my grandmother's funeral.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter is already moving along smoothly - There's a lot (and I mean a lot) of Reibert in it, so I hope that makes up for the lack of Reibert in this chapter~!
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	7. What You Know Might Hurt You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I love him, and don't fucking forget that.” Reiner growled through the phone before hanging it up and throwing it on the bed, and he only realized what he had said when he heard Bertholdt’s breath hitch in surprise.
> 
> “Reiner… Why did you do that? Why did you tell him all those things, and why did you lie about loving me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So despite the stress of the last week, I've managed to get this to you all on time! In fact, it's a little earlier than usual! Also a lot longer than usual... It's got twice the words of any chapter I've written so far.
> 
> I hope it doesn't disappoint you! I may have missed a few spelling mistakes, so feel free to point any out to me!
> 
> There are also references to abuse, so if that's hard for you to read please caution that.
> 
> Please enjoy~!

If there was a way to describe the feeling of joy and happiness that Reiner had been feeling for the past two weeks, he would say that it was like he was flying through the clouds without anybody else but Bertholdt by his side. Just going through the rest of his days with nobody but the beautiful boy that he could finally call his boyfriend.

_God, I love him more than words could ever describe_.

Reiner was sitting in his class and was only paying a small amount of attention to the teacher, his focus only on Bertholdt… And the thought of the boy going with him to the party over at Levi’s place was starting to make him feel nervous. He knew that Bertholdt wasn't good with large crowds of people, so the fact that he agreed to go was a miracle in itself.

The party was a celebration of Levi and Eren’s engagement last weekend, so there was going to be a lot of people going there. It didn't surprise anybody when Levi had said yes to the proposal… The only problem was that they had only now just found a time when everybody was free so that they could throw the party.

It also wasn't surprising when Eren had waited a week to propose after he got the ring because the nerves had gotten to him.

“Reiner. _Hey_! You coming to get the last of the stuff with me? Or do you just want to head back to the dorm? The party isn't until 8 tonight, so you have plenty of time to sleep before then.” Eren grabbed the last of his papers and slipped them into his bag before standing up next to Reiner.

“Oh. Right. I think I'll head back to the dorm so that I can take a nap before the party… I didn't get much sleep last night and I know it's a bad idea to drink when you're tired.” Reiner grabbed all of his things and slipped them into his bag, standing up soon after and yawning loud enough to have the whole class glare over at him.

“I hear you. Well I'll let Levi know that it'll just be the two of us finishing up with the shopping, so you make sure to rest up before you head to the party. I won't be coming back to the dorm tonight but I'll see you at the party.” Eren clapped Reiner on the back before he walked off, the obvious skip in his step was enough to make a smile break out on his face.

Reiner stretched his arms out above his head as he made his way out of the classroom. His body barely had enough strength to carry him through all the halls and towards his dorm room, and even the coffee he drank that morning didn't seem to be helping him at all.

_All I want is to do is see Bertholdt and go to that party…_

The moment he got to the door of his dorm room, he froze on the spot at the sound of somebody else inside. It sounded like that person was yelling at somebody on the phone, and once he put his ear to the door, he realized that the person inside of his room was Bertholdt. The meek, quiet boy was yelling at somebody on the phone…

_Right. I remember giving him my spare pass so he could get into the room. But why is he here now?_

“I said I’m not going back! So you can tell him that I'm going to be staying with a friend from now on… Yes, I have a friend! And don't expect to see me any time soon because I'm done.” It sounded as if Bertholdt was arguing with his mother, and that's when Reiner decided it would be best to go into the room and see what was really going on.

Reiner looked over at his bed and saw that the boy in question had his knees pulled up to his chest, his face buried in them so that he could quietly let out sobs that nobody could hear. He slowly walked over to the bed and raised his hand up, but he decided against putting his hand on the dark haired boy in case it scared him.

“Bert? Are you okay?” Reiner didn't feel relieved at all when Bertholdt looked up at him with tear stained cheeks and a face that was littered with bruises and cuts. It looked like he had a black eye and a split lip that still hadn't fully healed yet, and his left cheek had a few scratches from what looked like fingernails. The right side of his face looked unscathed… Though that wasn't a very big comfort when you looked at the rest of the boy.

“Reiner…” Bertholdt moved from his current position and launched himself at Reiner, his arms wrapping around his shoulders as he buried his face in the crook of his neck. He cried even harder when Reiner started running his fingers through his hair, the amount he had started shaking was more than enough to tell him that Bertholdt was having a severe panic attack.

_I'll fucking kill whoever did this to him. I swear to God I will._

“Can I… Stay here with you? I don't want to go back home… At least not yet. I already told my mom that I'm going to be staying with a friend for a while, and I was hoping that you'd let me stay.” Bertholdt managed to speak through his broken sobs, his face still buried in Reiner’s neck so his voice came out as quiet mumbles that were almost impossible to hear.

“Of course you can stay here. I won't ask what happened, but I don't think I need to. Could you let me see your face? I want to see you properly, Bert.” Reiner smiled when the dark haired boy finally pulled away from his neck so that he could see his face. The bruises and scratches didn't sway his feelings towards the beautiful boy at all, and he leaned forward so that he could place a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth that wasn't split open.

The dark blush that bloomed across Bertholdt’s face was well worth it. He mumbled a few more incoherent words before burying his face back in the crook of Reiner’s neck, his arms still wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time, and the only reason Reiner knew that Bertholdt was still awake was because he was still breathing ragged breaths while shaking. He was almost positive that his boyfriend wouldn't want to go to the party due to how he looked, though he still thought it would be best to ask him just in case.

“Bert? Do you want to stay here instead of going to that party tonight? If you want, I can stay behind as well so that you don't have to be alone. I'm sure Eren will understand if I tell him everything that's going on.” Reiner felt the other boy shift around a little bit before he looked at him, his eyes still red and puffed up from the amount of crying he did. He saw a look of contemplation cross his face before he let a small smile slip onto his face.

“I'll be okay. I don't want you to stay here because of me… I want a way to distract myself. Can you maybe… Grab the concealer from my bag and help me cover this mess up? I don't really want anybody else to see me like this.” Bertholdt pulled away from Reiner and leaned against the back wall while he waited for him to grab the concealer.

“I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but can I at least ask when it happened? That way I know how hard to press when I add the concealer.” Once he managed to get the concealer from Bertholdt’s bag, Reiner got up on the bed and sat in front of Bertholdt. He dabbed a small amount of concealer onto the sponge before gently touching the other boys cheek with it, and he knew that it hurt because he flinched away from the touch.

If there was one thing Bertholdt wasn't, it was subtle. His actions were more than enough to tell him what had happened, but he wanted to hear it directly from the boy's lips so that he could confirm his suspicions.

“Almost two hours ago. I knew you were in class when I left… But I needed somewhere to go for a while. I guess I spoke out of turn at some point during the day. I feel like I deserved this, even though it hurt more than anything.” Bertholdt spoke in a quiet tone, one that was almost impossible to hear if you weren't sitting next to him. The tone was also shaky due to his nervous and timid nature, and that was enough to make Reiner know exactly what was going on.

He thinks he deserves this. One, or maybe even both, of his parents treated him like he was worth nothing. He may not have said that it was his parents, but it was easy to draw that conclusion with how he worded his sentences.

“Bertholdt… You know that nobody deserves to go through that, right? You've been acting like you deserve this from the very beginning and you don't.” Reiner finished putting the concealer on after a few minutes, and he frowned when he pulled away just to see that Bertholdt was frowning at him.

_I don't think I've ever seen him frown at me before._

“You don't know what I've been through with my family. I deserve it because I’ve never been able leave, and I'm a burden to them. That's why I left now… I was never scared before but I am now.” The dark haired boy looked away from Reiner and flopped down on to the bed before closing his eyes and relaxing. “Please just keep me safe. This is the only place I can sleep without being scared.”

“I'd give you the moon and the stars if I could. And I'd give up my life to keep you safe, and don't you ever doubt that.” Reiner laid down in front of Bertholdt and placed his hand on his cheek, his thumb moving in slow circles just shy of the bruised part of his cheek. He smiled when Bertholdt looked over at him with a small smile on his face.

“Thank you.” Bertholdt leaned forward to place a shy kiss on Reiner’s lips. He blushed again before moving closer to Reiner, all so that he could wrap his arm around the other boys waist and close his eyes again so that he could rest.

“Let's sleep for a while before we head to the party. I'll set an alarm on my phone so we don't sleep in.” Reiner leaned in close enough to Bertholdt to place a playful kiss on his nose, his own body relaxing when the boy in question hummed in appreciation and acknowledgement before dozing off.

_I can't wait until I can make you feel like the most beautiful person in the world._

_Because even if you don't think you are… I want to prove myself right._

_Tonight. Tonight will be that night._

 

* * *

 

“You ready? You've been pacing for a while now…” Reiner watched his boyfriend walk around the room in an almost panicked state of mind, his hands continuously curling and uncurling at the hem of his sweater.

Bertholdt looked down at his outfit and took a shaky breath. He was wearing a dark green turtleneck sweater with (yet another) cat stitched in the front, a pair of black skinny jeans (holy hell those legs were beautiful), and another pair of thick framed glasses.

_Does he think he looks bad? I don't think I've ever seen something so cute my entire life._

“You’re sure that all your friends will like me? Maybe this outfit isn't enough for the party… Maybe I should dress a little nicer? I don't know...” Bertholdt started to panic even more when he saw that Reiner just continued to stare at him with a look of contemplation. “Oh my god… I really do look bad don't I?”

“You look perfect, Bert. I keep staring at you because I think you might be a little too cute right now. I may have to fend off a few people so that they don't try to take my boyfriend away from me.” Reiner grinned as he jumped up from his spot on the bed so that he could walk over to Bertholdt, his gaze becoming filled with adoration before he leaned close enough to place a kiss on his nose.

“Reiner!” Bertholdt puffed his cheeks out in frustration at Reiner’s words and actions. After trying to (unsuccessfully) push him away, he just settled for leaning against Reiner and switching his gaze into one of happiness and not frustration.

Once a few more minutes of silence had passed between them, Reiner pulled away and kissed the top of his head with a smile on his face. “It's almost time to leave. We should head out now so that we don't give ourselves the title of ‘The couple that's always late’ because right now, that belongs to Connie and Sasha.”

After Reiner pulled away, Bertholdt nodded his head and grabbed his shoulder bag before slipping his phone inside. He squeaked in surprise when he felt Reiner wrap his arm around his waist to pull him closer, and he looked back to glare playfully at the boy behind him. “What happened to us getting there early? You're making it very hard to leave.”

“Oops. I guess I can't keep my hands to myself when I've got something so beautiful in front of me.” Reiner brought his lips to the back of Bertholdt’s neck and started kissing it slowly, humming in appreciation when the dark haired boy simply tilted his head to give him more access. He continued to kiss at Bertholdt’s neck without really caring about the party anymore, but he was snapped out of his pleasure induced state when he heard somebody's phone go off.

“That's my phone… Reiner! We really need to get going!” Bertholdt smacked Reiner’s hand away when it started wandering too far down. Reiner just grinned and pulled away from his boyfriend with an unapologetic look on his face, and he knew better than to comment on why the other boy didn't bother to pick up his phone after it had gone off.

Reiner grabbed his car keys and took hold of Bertholdt’s hand, their fingers sliding between each other so that their hands were firmly clasped together. Once they got out of the room, Reiner looked back at Bertholdt before tugging him along gently. “You'll be okay so long as I'm here, alright? Now let's have some fun!”

“I'll try. If it's for you, I'm sure I'll be fine.” Bertholdt squeezed Reiner’s hand as they walked towards his car, though judging by his shaky footsteps and sweating hand, Reiner could tell that he was a lot more nervous about this than he was letting on.

_Don't worry, Bertholdt. Everything will be alright and I'll make everything better for you._

_No matter what, I will._

 

* * *

 

It only took about ten minutes to get to where they needed to go for the party, and Reiner pulled up just behind what looked like Mikasa’s car in front of the house. He looked over at the modestly sized house (as far as Reiner knew, Levi lived by himself with the money that both his uncle and mother gave to him) and took a deep breath. He then looked over at the boy that was in the car with him, and he could clearly tell that the poor boy was about to have a panic attack.

“It'll be okay, Bert. I'll be by your side the whole time. I promise.” Reiner placed a hand gently on Bertholdt’s thigh, and he was happy when the boy in question didn't flinch or pull away from the touch. He just looked over at Reiner and smiled at him with a weak smile, his expression still conveying exactly how nervous he was about going into the house.

Bertholdt soon let out a deep sigh before leaning closer to Reiner and placing his lips over his gently. Even though the feeling was short lived as he pulled away, Reiner still felt as if he could conquer the world with this beautiful man at his side.

“Your kisses give me superpowers, you know. My personal favourite power is the ability to see your cute blushing face every single day, little Berty.” A wide grin broke out on Reiner’s face before he was playfully smacked on the arm, but he knew that it was more out of embarrassment and less because he was angry.

“I'll be fine now that you've given me a reason to get out of the car.” Bertholdt huffed in playful frustration before getting out of the car. He stayed next to the car as he waited for Reiner to come around to his side, and he seemed to visibly relax when he felt a gentle hand take hold of his own. His gaze moved down to Reiner nervously as he waited for them to walk into the house together. “Reiner… This is already making me feel nervous.”

“All of my friends will love you, I promise. If you can somehow manage to put up with me on a daily basis than you obviously deserve their respect.” Reiner gently tugged Bertholdt’s hand and lead them over to the house. He knocked on the door loudly so that he could be heard over the music, and it didn't take long for the door to be opened by the owner of the house himself.

“Eren said it was probably you. It sounded like a fucking gorilla getting ready to break my front door down… You goddamn giant.” Levi grunted in displeasure before moving out of the way and letting Reiner and Bertholdt into the house. He closed the door behind them just before he walked into what looked like the living room, which appeared to be where everybody else was hanging out at the moment.

Reiner signaled for Bertholdt to take his shoes off, since he knew how particular Levi was about how clean everything needed to be. Once they got their shoes off, Reiner looked back at his boyfriend and squeezed his hand in a comforting gesture before nodding his head towards the living room. “Let's have you meet everybody else. I can assure you that everything will be fine, Bert.”

“Hey! We even have some of Levi’s friends here for you to meet! There are even some people that Reiner hasn't met.” Eren gestured for them to sit down next to him and Levi on the couch, and he started to list off the people in the room as an introduction. “So you already know Jean and Armin, as well as Ymir and Historia. As for my other friends, the two girls there are Mikasa and her girlfriend Annie, and those two are Sasha and her boyfriend Connie. For Levi's friends, the two huge guys there are Erwin and his husband Mike, those two are his friends Farlan and Isabel, plus you have Moblit next to them. Hange and their girlfriend Petra are here somewhere… I think they're getting snacks with Eld and Gunther.”

“We've heard so much about you from Reiner! I can't believe that you're actually willing to put up with him every day.” Connie beamed out as he took a swig from his beer, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulders so that he could keep her close to him.

Bertholdt blushed and fidgeted a little where he was sitting. He looked down at the floor and grumbled a little before lifting his gaze back up to Reiner. The smile he gave him was a little shaky before he looked up at everybody else again. “It's nice to meet you all.”

“Turns out that your friend is an idiot, Eren. Also, I can't believe you bought the engagement ring from the store that Erwin and Mike both own _and_ manage.” Levi scoffed as he threw his arm around Eren's shoulders to bring him closer.

There was a string of laughter that rang out through the room at the confession, though the only person who didn't even let out a chuckle was Eren. He had a blush of embarrassment heat up across his face before he playfully pushed at his fiancé’s side. “Shut up! Don't tell me that they wouldn't have said anything to you! They both know what I look like.”

“Of course Mike told me, and I drew the conclusion instantly. But we wouldn't want to spoil anything for Levi, because he normally doesn't react well to romance and we didn't want to spoil anything for either of you.” Erwin chuckled when he saw that Eren was becoming uncomfortable, so he decided it would be best to switch his attention over to the two men beside him. “So you're Reiner and Bertholdt? I've heard a lot about you two from Eren. I've been curious about what Bertholdt does, since I know Reiner goes to art school with Eren.”

“I… I work at a small coffee shop called Marley’s Coffee House. I moved here from Germany with my parents a while back, and I'm hoping to get enrolled into university soon.” Bertholdt jumped a little when he felt Reiner’s hand stroke his thigh slowly, but it didn't take him long to relax into the touch and continue talking. “I've know Reiner for a few months now. I mean, we've only been dating for a few weeks… But he's helped me open up and I'm thankful for it.”

Reiner leaned closer towards Bertholdt and kissed his cheek with a huge grin on his face. He squeezed Bertholdt’s thigh hard, which he hoped came off as a comforting gesture. “You're such a beautiful angel, little Berty,”

“ _Reiner_.” Bertholdt puffed his cheeks out in irritation for the second time that night, his voice raised as he let out an exasperated sigh.

The man in question was about to talk again, but he was interrupted by a loud voice that carried through the small house like an echo.

“Levi! You didn't tell me that you had hard liquor hiding away in your fridge!” The person in question, Hange, came running in with a small strawberry blonde haired girl, as well as a dark haired man and another man with blonde hair that was done up.

“That's because he was waiting to take it out until the end of the night!” Farlan yelled out from his spot beside Isabel. The girl beside him grinned and elbowed Farlan playfully in the side as she looked over at the two girls sitting on the couch together, her tone of voice playful as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Because Mikasa and Annie can get really into it if you take out the hard liquor.” Isabel didn't even seem fazed at all when Annie sent her a nasty glare, her gaze only becoming more playful until Farlan returned the elbow to the side.

“This is great! Oh! Who are these two beautiful boys sitting on the couch together?” Hange ran over to the front of the couch and kneeled down in front of Reiner and Bertholdt, their eyes scanning the two of them with a wide grin. “Are you Eren's friends? I think I remember him telling me your names… Reiner and… Bertholdt?”

Reiner and Bertholdt both backed away a little bit when they got too close, and they only grinned wider before pulling away and laughing loudly. “Sorry! Maybe I should just hand out the drinks?”

“Yes. Do that and just shut up, shitty glasses.” Levi grumbled and took one of the beers that Hange handed out, his arm still wrapped securely around his fiancé like he was a security blanket.

“Looks like this is going to be a long night. Why don't we try and get comfortable?” Reiner leaned close to Bertholdt and whispered into his ear, almost quiet enough that it was hard for the other boy to hear him.

The dark haired boy blushed a dark shade of red before nodding his head slowly. “Okay… Yeah. Let's do that.”

 

* * *

 

“Bertholdt… God you're so beautiful.” Reiner had dragged Bertholdt into the spare room of Levi’s house, his hands soon finding purchase on his shoulders as he pushed him up against the door. He leaned closer to Bertholdt and started to kiss and nip at his neck, and he moaned in appreciation when he heard the taller boy say his name with a hum of interest.

Bertholdt hummed again when he felt Reiner slide his hands down his arms and down towards his waist. His eyes slid closed when Reiner moved his head up so that he could kiss him hard, his hands squeezing down against the boys waist in an effort to keep himself in check.

It didn't take long for the two of them to find the bed across the room, and once they did, Reiner had effectively pinned Bertholdt underneath him with a grin on his face. His hands found their way to his shoulders again as he leaned forward and started to playfully nip at Bertholdt’s neck.

“You're being more adventurous than usual… What's gotten into you tonight? If it's the alcohol than I refuse to go any further than this.” Bertholdt gently pushed Reiner far enough away so that he could look him in the eyes, and he could see that the blonde haired boy wasn't overly drunk at the moment.

“I'm only a little tipsy. If you don't want to go much further than I definitely won't force you. I'm not one for forcing my partner into doing shit like this if they really don't want to.” Reiner moved his hands up to Bertholdt’s cheeks with a kind smile on his face, his expression showing just how genuine his words truly were.

Bertholdt closed the distance between them and placed his lips over Reiner’s. He raised one hand up and covered one of the hands that Reiner had on his face, though just as he was about to say something else, he jumped in shock at the sound of his phone going off. It looked as if he was debating on whether or not he should check who it was, but he eventually decided to pull away from Reiner so that he could get to his phone.

“I'm sorry… That's the tone I have set for my dad. I'll see what he has to say, than we can continue where we left off.” Bertholdt reached for his back pocket to pull out his phone. He looked at it with dread for before finally answering it, and it only took a second for Reiner to hear the angry voice come from the other line.

“ _Bertholdt Hoover! Your mother told me that you ran away to stay with a **friend**!? You don't have the mental stability to make any friends, so you get your ass back home right now before I really **do** cut you out!_ ” The look of fear on Bertholdt’s face was enough make Reiner’s heart sink, but he knew it would be best to keep quiet until things had smoothed out a little more.

“I do have a friend! I'm not going to tell you his name either, because you'll hurt him if I do… And I can't have you do that again. He's a very important person to me, and I'm going to stay with him for as long as I want!” Bertholdt took a deep breath and shook a little more in fear, his eyes starting to water a little as he started to cry.

“ _You don't have the capability to care for anybody! Isn't that why your friend died? **He** died because you couldn't bring yourself to actually care about him. You lied to him, and you've been lying to me and your mother. It's only a matter of time before you get us killed, too. And now you want to do that to somebody who doesn't even know who you really are_!?” Once his father had finished yelling at Bertholdt, Reiner had the urge to reach through the phone and stab the guy a hundred times for making his son look so terrified.

_I'll kill anybody who hurts him._

_His parents deserve a fate far worse than death for what they've been doing to their own son._

_To my boyfriend._

“I… I won't let that happen to him. My friend didn't die because of me! I'm just… I guess I should go back and explain everything to you.” Bertholdt was about to hang up the phone and get out of the bed, but he let out a squeak of surprise when Reiner took the phone away from him. “Wait! Don't do this!”

“Listen to me very closely. This is the friend that your son is staying with, Mr. Hoover. I could pin your ass for abuse in an instant, but I won't do that unless you give me a reason to do it… I know Bert still loves you despite the shit you put him through. Though if you hurt him even one more time, don't think I'll let you get away with it. I love him, and don't fucking forget that.” Reiner growled through the phone before hanging it up and throwing it on the bed, and he only realized what he had said when he heard Bertholdt’s breath hitch in surprise.

“Reiner… Why did you do that? Why did you tell him all those things, and why did you lie about loving me?” Bertholdt looked down at the bed and curled his fingers into the sheets hard enough to turn his fingers white. There were even more tears coming from his eyes, his shoulders now shaking hard as he started to cry even harder than before.

“I want you to listen to me very closely, Bertholdt.” Reiner placed his hands on Bertholdt’s cheeks and lifted his face up so that they could look into each others eyes. He brought their heads close enough so that their foreheads were now touching, and he gently rubbed circles into Bertholdt’s cheeks as their lips touched. “I don't regret what I told your dad. You deserve better than that, and nobody deserves to go through shit like that… I don't care if I die by getting close to you. I'll walk through Hell to see you again, because I love you. I've loved you from the moment I saw you in the rain.”

Bertholdt let out another choked sob as he wrapped his arms around Reiner’s shoulders. He buried his face into Reiner’s neck once more, and his tears started to come out even worse than before.

Reiner raised his hand up and ran his fingers through the other boys hair gently. He used his other arm to pull Bertholdt even closer to him than before, than he buried his nose in the dark hair before kissing his head and whispering to him gently. “You'll never have to be alone again, Bert. I'll always be here for you no matter what… Because I love you.”

_Don't forget these words or these promises, Bertholdt._

_Because if either of your parents hurt you again, I won't go back on my word._

_I **will** kill them if I have to._

_Count on it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I've managed to get the characters written right! I think I did well, but I would still love your opinions on the matter~!
> 
> The next chapter is already halfway done and I've got nothing else to distract me at the moment, so you can expect it on time as well!
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	8. Sweet Porcelain Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His hair was sticking up all over the place, and his sweater was rising up enough that Reiner could see his slightly toned stomach. It also seemed as if Bertholdt hadn't noticed the smudged concealer on his face, since he just looked over at Reiner and smiled brightly at him.
> 
> This angel is going to be the death of me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a busy day of sorting through things from my grandmother, but alas! I am now here and am happy to post this chapter for you all - It's lighter than the last chapter, and it also has more Armin in it than the last few chapters~! I don't know if I've ever mentioned just how much I love Armin?
> 
> Before you read, please note that there is VERY HEAVY SPOILERS for anybody who hasn't read chapter 94 of the manga. So please keep that in mind while you read!
> 
> Please enjoy~

_"I don't see how there will be a problem. After all, you've finally been able to move forward without your parents holding you back.” Reiner grinned from ear to ear when he saw that Bertholdt had been smiling while making a cup of coffee in his dorm room, his body elegantly moving through the room as he did so._

_“You're right. And I've even managed to escape the guilt of what happened to my friend all those years ago… Thanks to you, Reiner.” Bertholdt walked over to Reiner and placed the two cups of coffee down onto the nightstand beside the bed. He sat next to his boyfriend and leaned over to kiss his cheek, his modest nature coming through with his shaky yet adorable actions._

_Reiner ran his hands down the other boys arms and kissed him as gently as possible, acting as if he was a delicate doll that needed to be taken extra care of. He ran his hands down until they reached Bertholdt’s thin waist so that he could grip them, though not hard enough to make the boy flinch away from him._

_He soon closed his eyes and took in the scent, the feel, and everything Bertholdt had to offer. His beautiful green eyes that could draw anybody in. His lithe body that was just waiting to be peppered with the gentle kisses and touches. His soft, quiet voice that would let out the cutest noises whenever he felt good…_

_And the feeling of his body pressed against yours would make you become addicted in an instant._

_“Reiner… Please.” Bertholdt’s quiet voice cut through the air like a whip, and there was no way he could say no to that voice. He gently lowered the other boy down on to the bed beneath him, his fingers grazing a small part of exposed skin just above his waist._

_The feeling became indescribable, and just as he was about to get to the place he so desperately wanted to see, he felt a sharp pain in his head that was followed by a loud voice that sounded so distant yet so familiar…_

 

* * *

 

“Reiner! I swear to god that if you fuck your boyfriend in my fiancé’s house I'm going to kill you.” Eren raised his foot up and kicked Reiner’s back hard enough to make him jump in shock, though it didn't surprise him at all when Bertholdt didn't even so much as flinch at the commotion going on.

“What the hell? Does it look like I'm getting ready to fuck him? We just happened to fall asleep here because Bert was exhausted and needed rest.” Reiner pulled away from his boyfriend slowly so that he didn't wake him up, and he looked over at Eren with an irritated glare. “Besides, why do you care? You jealous or something?”

“God no. You were just moaning like a whore and humping Bertholdt, so I thought I should wake you up before you did something you regret. And I care about that because I don't want Levi to kill you for making a mess in his house.” Eren sighed in exasperation as he went back over to the bedroom door, but he stopped just before opening the door. “Also, it's 9AM, so if you want homemade breakfast you better come downstairs soon.”

Reiner watched Eren walk out of the room and close the door behind him, his eyes still heavy as he tried to remember everything that happened the night before. He found it strange that they had both managed to wander up here and not get found until that morning… And had he really been doing what Eren said he was? He pulled down the blankets and groaned loudly when he saw that he was, indeed, very much turned on at the moment.

_Even laying beside Bert is enough to get me aroused…_

_Living with him is really going to test my self-control._

There was a little bit of movement coming for beside him, so Reiner looked and noticed that the boy in question was now sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His hair was sticking up all over the place, and his sweater was rising up enough that Reiner could see his slightly toned stomach. It also seemed as if Bertholdt hadn't noticed the smudged concealer on his face, since he just looked over at Reiner and smiled brightly at him.

_This angel is going to be the death of me._

“Good morning, Reiner. It's so nice to see that you're still here and not gone off somewhere.” Bertholdt reached over and pulled Reiner close to him, either not noticing or simply just choosing not to comment on the fact that Reiner’s clothed erection was now rubbing against part of his leg.

“Good morning, Bert. I'll be sticking around for a while so you really don't have to worry about me leaving, I promise.” Reiner carefully adjusted himself to try and hide his erection, trying whatever he could to keep the dark haired boy comfortable. He placed his hands on Bertholdt’s face and brought him in for a gentle kiss, his eyes lighting up with joy when the kiss was returned eagerly.

“I thought I heard something about a homemade breakfast…” Bertholdt hummed quietly once he pulled away from the kiss. He turned his body and threw his legs over the side of the bed without really looking back at Reiner, since he seemed to be solely motivated by the thought of eating.

“Bert, wait a minute. You sure you want to go out there without your concealer applied? I know you're rather sensitive about that kind of thing so…” Reiner could see that Bertholdt was affected by the question since he had flinched, his head dropping as he seemed to realize the weight of what the other boy had said to him.

Bertholdt looked back at Reiner and reached into his pocket to pull something out, and Reiner almost felt his heart stop when he noticed that it was a case containing concealer. He had more than one case of that stuff? How did it not break while he was sleeping?

_Why does he feel the need to carry around so much concealer? I guess it really is as bad as I thought._

Reiner silently took the concealer and got Bertholdt to turn around so that he was facing him completely. He dabbed a small amount on to the sponge before applying a gentle amount to his face, though he stopped after just one dab with a furrowed brow.

“Shouldn't we wash the old stuff off first? I feel like I'm just putting an extra pound of makeup on your face right now.” As he was getting ready to pull away, he was stopped by a hand reaching out and gripping his wrist rather hard. He looked into Bertholdt’s eyes and frowned when he got a blank expression, but he decided it would be best to continue wordlessly so that he didn't upset the boy further.

Once Reiner had finished applying the last of the concealer to Bertholdt’s face, he placed the sponge and the concealer case back into the boy's hand. He kept a steady gaze just before he leaned in and placed a kiss to Bertholdt’s nose, which only served to make him grin like an idiot when the boy in question puffed his cheeks out and playfully pushed at his shoulders.

“Stop that! Let's go get some food before I decide I'd rather be at work than here.” Bertholdt turned back into his original position and got out of the bed, stretching his arms out above his head and yawning loudly as he shuffled through the room and towards the door.

“Yes sir.” Reiner jumped up from the bed and moved next to his boyfriend. He bumped their hands against each other so that he could lace their fingers together, his expression becoming pure joy when Bertholdt squeezed his hand to show that he was fine with what they were doing.

_One day, I will **definitely** marry this man._

 

* * *

 

“Is it too sudden to ask him to meet my family?” Reiner hummed in thought as he sat in the corner of the coffee shop that his boyfriend worked at, since he absolutely refused to let Bertholdt go to work without somebody to watch him because of the phone call from his father the night before.

“Don't you think that knowing him for this long that it would probably be fine?” The blonde boy that was now sitting across from Reiner smiled politely as he placed his coffee down on the table. The blonde boy in question was Armin, who happened to be the only person who's been willing to deal with Eren his whole life. They had met back when they were just five years old, and they seemed to have an unbreakable bond that nobody could understand.

_I feel like my best friend is Eren, but **his** best friend seems to be this adorable little man in front of me._

_That's totally fine with me. So long as they're happy, I guess._

“Maybe. I mean, he's really shy and timid so I don't know if he'll be super eager to meet my family or not. My dad is never home, my mom is… Different, from most people. And my cousin spends nearly all of her time there so…” Reiner leaned back in his chair and looked over at the boy behind the counter who was joyfully taking orders, the smile on his face becoming bright enough to light up the whole room.

“I don't think it'll be an issue. He met Jean and Eren and he survived, so he could probably survive anything. Just ask if he's comfortable with it now, alright? If he's not than I wouldn't worry too much about it. He'll be ready eventually, I'm sure.” Armin took a drink of his coffee, not really caring that the boy across from him seemed to be focusing most of his attention elsewhere.

Reiner tapped his fingers on the table in thought, his own coffee long forgotten as he took Armin's words into consideration. He knew that if Bertholdt didn't want to meet his family yet (Gabi is rather hard to handle) he would politely decline, but… He wanted the beautiful dark haired boy to know that he was being completely serious about wanting to date him.

_This is all I can think of to prove to him that I'm serious at the moment._

_Because he doesn't seem ready to have sex yet, and I **very** much doubt that he's ready for a marriage proposal._

“You're absolutely right. I'll talk to to him about it when he starts his break, but until then I'll probably just beat myself up over it.” Reiner sighed and looked back over at Armin, and he made sure to smile at him to show his appreciation.

“You really like him, don't you? I don't think I ever saw you this interested in somebody before. Even while you were with Eren, and he's quite the catch.” Armin took a small sip of his coffee after he spoke, his own eyes lighting up when he saw the boy across from him give him a genuine smile.

“I don't know if I could even find words that could describe my feelings for him… The only word I can use to describe it to other people is love. I love him. I want to marry him, and to take him away from the hell that his parents put him through.” Reiner looked over at Armin with a nervous expression on his face. He had no idea how he would react to the words, since he thought that the boy in question may judge him and say that he was pushing too much into the relationship so early on.

The seconds that ticked by were immensely tense for both the boy's sitting at the table. Reiner felt like he would rather be anywhere but there at that very moment, though he was snapped out of his daze when he saw slender fingers replace his cold cup of coffee.

He looked up and saw the very boy he was talking about standing next to the table with a smile, his ever beautiful eyes showing that he was concerned by the currently very tense atmosphere that surrounded him and Armin.

“Hello, Bertholdt. Is it your break already? Or are you just delivering more free coffee to your boyfriend for fun?” Armin started to tease the tall boy in a gentle way, and he seemed content with the blush that crossed his face at the words.

“My break is still an hour away. But I know that Reiner’s stomach can't take the feeling of cold coffee, so I thought I'd bring him another cup.” Bertholdt started to play with the rim of the coffee cup he was holding nervously. He looked between Reiner and Armin for a another moment before finally settling his gaze on Armin, who seemed to have a slightly wicked expression on his face.

_Oh god. Don't be a little ass now of all times, Armin…_

“That's very nice of you. Now I have to head out since my boyfriend will be expecting me back soon, but Reiner said he'll be happy to stay and keep you company. Also, he has a very important question to ask you.” Armin grinned when Reiner looked at him with a dark blush on his face. He grabbed his coffee cup and stood up from his spot across from Reiner, waving goodbye to him before he made his way out of the shop.

“God damn it. At least I can see why Eren likes him so much… He's evil.” Reiner grumbled when Armin left the shop, and he looked up at Bertholdt to see how he was handling it. The way his heart skipped a beat almost made him faint, since the boy standing next to him was blushing hard enough that he could see the colour even on his dark skin.

“Umm… What's he talking about? You never said anything to me about this.” Bertholdt still didn't sit down despite the fact it looked like he was getting ready to faint from the heat on his face. He placed the cold cup of coffee down on the table and looked down at Reiner, his embarrassed expression almost too cute for words.

Reiner took a deep breath before taking hold of Bertholdt’s shaky hands. He brought them close to his lips so that he could kiss the knuckles on one of them, his eyes never once leaving the beautiful green ones that belonged to his boyfriend. He let a smile slip on to his face again, his voice coming out soft and genuine so that Bertholdt could understand just how serious he was about this.

“I want you to meet my family. My father doesn't spend a lot of time at home, and my mother is a little… Different, but she means well most of the time. I'm also really close to my cousin, Gabi, and she would love to meet you if it's at all possible.” There was another bout of silence that passed between them after Reiner spoke. He was starting to feel as if he would be better off not talking to anybody anymore, since there always seemed to be a long string of silence that followed his words.

“Reiner…” Bertholdt felt tears start to build up after another moment of silence had passed between them. He pulled his hands away from Reiner’s, but he soon placed them on his face and squished his cheeks with a slight huff of irritation. “Why do you look so nervous? You're such a jerk sometimes.”

The feeling of those soft hands squishing his cheeks made his heart beat out of his chest. Reiner let a huge grin spread across his face as he placed his hands over Bertholdt’s again, making it impossible for him to keep squishing his cheeks. He turned his head so that he could place a gentle kiss against the palm of the other boy's hand with a grin.

“Sorry. It's a nasty habit that I haven't learned to break yet. But should I take your reaction as a good thing? I can call my mom when you head back to the counter and let her know, if that's alright with you.” Reiner’s grin stretched out even wider when Bertholdt tried to hide his blush by lowering his head down and having his hair hide his face.

“Okay. I'll go… Just, make sure that you tell them not to overwhelm me.” Bertholdt kept his face hidden so that he couldn't see Reiner’s grin. He took a deep breath before pulling away and running back over to the counter, since he had already spent too much time away from there.

Reiner watched the tall boy run away from him, but he knew that Bertholdt wasn't really mad at him so he just shook his head and looked down at his phone so that he could find his mother's number. Once he found his mother's number, he dialed it and waited for her to pick up.

“ _Hello? It's been so long since I've talked to you, Reiner!_ ” The soft voice of his mother, Karina, came through the line almost as soon as she picked up the phone.

“It's only been a week, mother. Anyway, I have a question for you.” Reiner suddenly felt very nervous about asking his mother if she could meet Bertholdt, despite the fact that she was fine with him having dated Eren before.

“ _You sound very nervous about something, little Reiner. Have you gotten yourself into trouble again? You know that I'm willing to help you if your personality made you act strange again_.” The soothing voice was filled with worry, and it was at that moment that he decided to just ask the question outright so that she didn't have to keep worrying.

“Oh no, that's not it at all… In fact, it's something good. I know you were upset with me when me and Eren broke up, but I have some good news that might cheer you up. I've found somebody that I really want you to meet. If it's okay with you.” Reiner took a deep breath when all he got from his mother was silence (why did that keep happening to him?) after his confession.

“Oh, my baby boy! Is he nice? Does he have a job? Please tell me he has no kids! Is he older or younger?” Karina continued to ramble on joyfully with everything that she wanted from Reiner’s boyfriend, and the only reason she stopped was because Reiner coughed as a way to interrupt her.

_I swear that she worries too much most days._

“He's the sweetest boy I've ever met. He works at a small coffee shop, and as far as I know he has no kids. And… I'm not sure how old he is, but he's definitely an adult. He's really nervous most of the time, but I still want him to meet you and dad. I also want him to meet Gabi.” Reiner heard her make a small sniffling noise in the other end of the line, which was followed by a small laugh that made him feel good about his chances.

“ _Of course! Just tell me when you want him to meet us as soon as you can, and I'll tell both your father and Gabi for you. He must be a good boy if you… I'm so happy for you. You know I'll always love you no matter what you do, right_?” His mother's voice always sounded soothing to his ears, and he knew at that moment that she was the perfect mother for him.

“Thank you, mother. I'll talk to you again after I talk to him, alright? I love you.” Reiner hung up and placed his phone down on the table and leaned back in his chair, his eyes soon sliding shut as he let out a content sigh.

_Whether or not my mother loves him doesn't really matter to me._

_Because no matter what happens, I want him to be mine._

_And I'll do whatever I can to keep it that way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to introduce Reiner's family a little later, but I felt like this would be a better time to add them in. Especially after reading chapter 95... If I could hug Reiner, I definitely would! ;.;
> 
> I hope you liked it! It's mostly just a filler chapter before I really push things forward in the next one - Hopefully I can keep these perfect characters, you know, in character~!
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	9. All in the Method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow will be a long day, but with you by my side I can do anything. 
> 
> Just be sure to remember this moment just as I will.
> 
> I will never forget this love, Bertholdt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have a lot of time to edit this chapter, but I do hope that I did well! Also, I won't be able to post the chapter for next week since I've been completely overrun by writing all the prompts for both Reibert week and the Ereri summer event... But I'll try and post it the Sunday after, because I don't want you all to be left out for long!
> 
> This chapter has a little bit extra in it, and it finally has a good reason to have that Mature rating that I gave it~
> 
> Please enjoy!

“I think I might have jumped the gun with this… I mean, I can't believe that I actually asked him to meet my mother and father. Even though he's been telling me for a week that he's going to be fine with it, I still can't settle my nerves.” Reiner had his hands in his hair, his nervousness obvious with his actions.

“You know, you're lucky that he apparently has a lot of patience and kindness in him because he's so willing to put up with you. You're insufferable most days.” Eren sighed as he focused all his attention on the TV in front of him. They were hanging out at Mikasa and Annie’s small apartment, and Eren was content with just ignoring his friend's apparent anguish by playing Mortal Kombat.

Reiner ignored Eren when he groaned in frustration after being hit by a fatality from Annie, his focus seeming to only be on wall next to the TV. He narrowed his eyes while he played with the hem of his shirt to try and distract himself, though it didn't seem to help much with his nerves that continued to build up.

He had talked to Bertholdt about what his mother had said after he called her during his break. It seemed like the boy in question was nervous about it at first, but he soon relaxed when he was given words of comfort. They had talked about it at the store for his entire break, and they settled for meeting with his family a week later at his house.

_Well tomorrow is that fateful day, and I'm about to lose my mind._

_My mother and Gabi are happy, Bertholdt is fine with everything… I'm just more worried about my father._

There was also the fact that he refused to let Bertholdt go to work alone. He insisted that he would be fine without anybody watching him since his mother and father wouldn't go after him in a public place, but that still didn't quell his nerves. The boy in question had worked three times that week, and being the heavenly angel that we was, Armin kept an eye on Bertholdt while Reiner was in class or happened to be busy.

“If you're just going to antagonize over it, do it away from me.” The usually quiet blonde girl, Annie, spoke from her spot in the chair beside the couch. She managed to hit Eren with yet another fatality, and even she couldn't suppress the small chuckle at Eren’s frustrated groans.

“But Bert isn't at the dorm room. So I have no reason to be there. Besides, I'm feeling the inspiration to sketch because of all the noise around me right now.” Reiner knew that both Eren and Annie were skeptical about that, but he still fished out his sketchbook from his bag and started to draw something to try and distract himself.

“Has he always been this bad at lying?” Annie asked as she got up to grab both her and Eren a can of soda, placing them both on the table before taking the controller back in her hands.

“He used to be good at lying, believe it or not. It seems like Bert has a certain kind of aura around him that makes it impossible for Reiner to function properly.” Eren grabbed his can of soda and took a quick drink of it as he looked over at his large friend that was sitting next to him on the couch, unsurprisingly he seemed to be sketching his boyfriend once again.

“I can still hear you, you know. I may be completely focused on this sketch but I'm not deaf.” The sounds of both Eren and Annie sighing told him that they would finally leave him alone to do his sketch. He looked down at the sketch of his boyfriend and smiled, although he knew already that there was no way he could capture the true beauty that Bertholdt exuded.

His love of sketching Bertholdt was a little disconcerting to most people.

Including himself.

But he found that he didn't really care about any of that. The only thing he focused on was Bertholdt’s happiness and wellbeing, which had gotten to the point where he had started neglecting his own well-being.

_My mother would be so mad if she learned about that. And so would Gabi._

_For a little girl she can very terrifying._

Reiner continued to blissfully ignore the two people who were practically ready to kill each other in real life (they both hate to lose at anything, after all) for what felt like hours, his focus only becoming snapped when he heard his phone go off in his pocket. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and smiled when he saw that Bertholdt’s name flashed across the screen.

**Angel Eyes (3:37 PM):**  
_You still nervous about tomorrow? If you are, I think it would be fun to release your stress by eating pizza and binge watching more horror movies tonight._

The fact that he was texting Reiner in the middle of his shift made his face brighten up with both a blush and a smile, since he had obviously been noticing the mood swings and was worried about him all day.

_How did I get so fucking lucky with him?_

**Reiner (3:43 PM):**  
_That would be amazing. You really know how to win a man over, my beautiful Berto. Your shift is done at 5, yeah? I'll swing by the store so I can pick both you and Armin up._

**Angel Eyes (3:49 PM):**  
_I told you to stop calling me that! But I am done at 5, if you were wondering. I'll be waiting for you eagerly while hanging out with Armin - He's amazing, by the way._

**Reiner (3:53 PM):**  
_Maybe I should be jealous? I thought only I was amazing! *long dramatic sigh*_

**Angel Eyes (3:57 PM):**  
_You're impossible, you jerk. I'll see you around 5, and don't be late!_

“Earth to Reiner! You ready to join the world of the living now?” Eren flicked Reiner in the forehead to try and get his attention. Once he managed to get Reiner’s attention away from his phone, he held out a can of soda and was offering it to him with an irritated expression on his face.

“I've been here the whole time. Excuse me for being happy for the first time in months.” Reiner took the can that was offered to him while speaking with a teasing voice. The grin coming from Eren was a sign that he understood the joke, and he laughed before taking his seat back on the couch.

Once he was given the can of soda, he took a quick drink before focusing all of his attention on the sketch of Bertholdt behind the counter of the cafè. There was no way he could fully capture the beauty of the boy that had the most captivating green eyes no matter how hard he tried.

If this was what love was always supposed to feel like, than he would never want to feel this way about anybody else for the rest of his life.

 

* * *

 

“Nope. I already thought it through, and I don't like the idea so I'm going to call my mom and cancel everything.” Reiner reached over to the side and grabbed his phone, but he was stopped almost instantly when he felt a soft hand grab his and pull it away from the phone.

“This is our relaxation time before that happens. You aren't making my nerves settle any easier by doing this, you know.” Bertholdt made him drop the phone with a grunt of frustration. He wiggled around to get more comfortable, not caring in the least when Reiner groaned and asked him to stop wiggling around so much.

They were currently wrapped up in a large fluffy blanket, Reiner leaning back against the wall with his legs stretched out so that Bertholdt could sit between them. They had placed the laptop in Bertholdt’s lap so that they could both watch the movie at the same time, and Reiner had his head on the other boys shoulder. He soon decided to wrap his arms around Bertholdt’s waist to try and calm himself down, the nerves almost becoming too much for him to handle.

“I'm sorry about making you so nervous. I was not nearly this nervous when I introduced Eren to my parents… My father was very fond of him, and he's still mad at me for the breakup.” Reiner tightened his hold on Bertholdt and nuzzled his nose into his neck. He hummed in appreciation when Bertholdt placed his hands over top of his, his mind soon wandering away from the movie and over towards the boy currently in his arms.

Bertholdt let out a hum of his own when he felt Reiner nuzzle into his neck. They stayed in a comfortable silence as they became more invested in each other than the movie, both of their minds wandering away to the point where the dark haired boy started to doze of peacefully.

_I wonder if he wouldn't mind a little teasing…_

“Bertholdt? You still awake?” Reiner felt his stomach fill up with butterflies when Bertholdt hummed to show that he was listening to what he was saying. He took a deep shaky breath and let one hand wander down to the waistline of Bertholdt’s pajama pants, his pinky slowly sliding past and touching the bare skin just below his navel. When all he got from the other boy was another hum, he started to kiss at the spot just below his ear with a deep affection.

“Mmm… Reiner. You feeling up to this? I can still feel how tense you are.” Bertholdt’s breath hitched in his throat when he felt Reiner’s hand skim the spot just above his growing erection, the slightly calloused hand felt like it was leaving scorch marks on his skin.

“It might help me unwind a little. You want to help me out a little bit with that? I think you promised me a night of unwinding… If that's okay with you, of course.” He stopped the motion of his hand as he finished speaking. He waited patiently to see if Bertholdt was going to pull away or say no to the advances, and he was shocked when Bertholdt wiggled back and pressed against his stomach rather closely.

“You're making me out to be some kind of China doll or something. I'll be fine, okay? Just try to keep it from going too far. And… Please let me stay facing this way for now.” The dark haired boy lowered his head down to try and cover the blush that started to form across his cheeks, which was more than enough to push him forward with this.

Reiner continued to move his hand further down until he reached Bertholdt’s cock, his hand a little shaky as he gently took it into his hand. The sound of the other boy's breath hitching made him jump a little, but he wasn't pushed away so he decided to place his head on Bertholdt’s shoulder and look down as he pulled his hardening cock out of its confines.

_This isn't the first time I've seen or touched another cock, so why do I feel so nervous right now?_

The sound of Bertholdt’s breathing picking up was music to his ears. He could feel the warm breath hitting his cheek as he started stroking the other boys cock gently, since he didn't want him to get scared and ask for him to stop… He didn't even know if he could bring himself to stop, even if he was asked to.

“Bertholdt… You have such a pretty looking cock. Someday I want to know what it tastes like.” Reiner hummed and smirked when he heard Bertholdt let out a quiet whine to show that he heard what Reiner said, but he still refused to look up and into the eyes of the boy behind him. He turned his head and nuzzled the spot just underneath the dark haired boys ear while whispering sweet words into his ears.

There was enough precum flowing from the tip of Bertholdt’s cock to make his hand slide up and down easily, and the quiet moans that he continued to let out where spurring Reiner on in the best possible way. It didn’t take long for his own cock to start twitching every time he heard those quiet moans that sounded almost too soft for the current situation. He soon started to run one hand up Bertholdt’s sweater and up towards his chest, and he swore that he heard a very quiet whisper of approval come from those soft lips.

Bertholdt’s breath soon started to become more rapid as Reiner continued to stroke his cock at a faster pace, the moans becoming even louder when Reiner’s fingers passed over one of his hardened nipples and pinching it hard. After he let out another loud moan, he finally lifted his head up and looked over at Reiner to see what sort of expression he was making. Once he saw that the boy behind him was panting and blushing just like he was, his body seemed to react of its own accord by thrusting back against Reiner’s own hardened cock.

Reiner groaned loudly when he felt Bertholdt push back against his hardened cock, the motion only spurring him on even more. He let go of Bertholdt’s cock and spun him around so that they were now looking at each other, their lust filled gazes meeting as Reiner put his hands on the other boys shoulders and pushed him down on to the bed slowly. He slowly pushed the laptop off the bed before he licked his lips in a show of lust.

“Bert… Are you feeling okay? We can stop now if you'd rather just keep watching the movie.” Reiner could see a few different emotions cross through his eyes, but he eventually settled with a steady look that was enough of an answer for him. They looked at each other for a few moments before Bertholdt brought his arms up and wrapped them around his shoulders, bringing him down so that their breaths were now mingling together.

“Don't stop right when this is just getting good. I'm not a doll that needs to be treated like I'm glass, since I haven't been back to see my parents I've been feeling better.” Bertholdt brought Reiner down and pushed their lips together hard, his body arching off the bed and making their erections brush together.

Reiner moaned into the kiss and lowered his hand down so that he could slide his pants down to his thighs, doing the same to Bertholdt’s and leaving both of their hardened cocks exposed to the cool air. He then moved down and started to kiss and bite at Bertholdt’s neck as he took hold of both of their hardened cocks and started to stroke them at a steady pace.

“Reiner!” Bertholdt’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in shock when Reiner started to stroke their cocks together, and he let out a loud moan when he felt the boy on top of him thrust up and caused hard friction between the two of them. He placed his hands on Reiner’s shoulders and dug his fingers into the skin hard enough to leave marks, though it didn't seem like the boy in question really cared about the pain or the marks.

“I don't think I've ever felt so good before… I want you to feel the same way I do. I want to burrow myself inside of you and never leave. I want to mark you on every single inch of your body so that everybody will know just who you belong to.” Reiner spoke in a low tone with his mouth only inches away from the other boys neck, and it didn't take him long to close the distance and bite down on the junction between his neck and shoulder hard enough to draw blood.

_I'm never going to let you go. I'll keep you chained to the bed if I have to._

_You'll never be hurt again. Not as long as you're with me, my beautiful Bertholdt._

The feeling of the bite and the blood dripping down his neck was enough to make Bertholdt’s eyes glaze over completely with lust. After only a few thrusts from Reiner, the dark haired boy started to match his thrusts with the same speed to try and distract himself from the pain of the bite wound that was now on his neck.

“I don't… Reiner. I don't think I can…” Bertholdt let out a choked sob as Reiner started to move his hand in pace with his thrusts. His vision became blurred with tears when Reiner finally pulled his lips away from Bertholdt’s neck to look at him, his own gaze filled with what looked like nothing but darkness and lust.

“What can't you do, Bert? Why do you look so scared? I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to show you how much I really love you, and this is all I can do right now.” Reiner leaned forward and placed his lips over Bertholdt’s gently, trying to express how true his words were. He could see that he was starting to scare Bertholdt with both his words and his actions, despite the fact that he also seemed aroused judging by his lust filled gaze.

“I can't hold it in… I'm going to…” Bertholdt managed to speak through ragged breaths after Reiner pulled away from his lips. The hold he had on Reiner became limp as he felt both of their cocks twitch before releasing over Bertholdt’s shirt, which was enough to cause the boy in question to become completely limp with exhaustion.

“Bertholdt?” Reiner let go of their cocks and leaned closer to the other boys face to see if he was fine, his expression flipping almost instantly into one of panic. He placed his other hand on Bertholdt’s face and stroked a slow line across his bottom lip with strange fascination, a small breath of relief passing his lips after heard a light snore come from the dark haired boy beneath him.

Once he had enough of simply laying down and looking at his beautiful boyfriend, Reiner decided that it would be a good idea to get up and clean them off. He reached out towards his nightstand and pulled out a few tissues from the box so that he could wipe them both down, than he pulled up both of their pants before pulling the large comforter over the two of them.

Reiner laid down beside Bertholdt and placed one hand over the newly formed bite mark on his neck, and he couldn't suppress the smirk from building up on his face. He leaned over and placed one last kiss to Bertholdt’s lips before closing his eyes and relaxing.

_Tomorrow will be a long day, but with you by my side I can do anything._

_Just be sure to remember this moment just as I will._

_I will never forget this love, Bertholdt._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the meeting of the family! I just got carried away with this part... And I had no way to transition between the scenes, so that will come next time!
> 
> I'm awkward and bad at writing smut scenes of any kind - I hope I did decent with this one! Also, if there's any mistakes feel free to point them out! I didn't have a lot of time to check this chapter over...
> 
> I'm sorry that I'll be going on a week hiatus with this story, but I'll still be active! So don't you worry about that~! <3
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	10. Whatever Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You wanted to know everything about me? I can tell you right now. Everything from the very beginning.” Bertholdt raised his head up and looked at Reiner, his expression broken as he reached out and rubbed slow circles on the other boys cheeks with his thumbs.
> 
> “Please don't hate me after this... I just want you to know the full truth about what your father said.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned after being gone for a week! I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint, because I'm actually very happy with how this turned out! I'm going to apologize in advance since I'm very mean to little Berto in this chapter... ;.;
> 
> I didn't have time to do a spellcheck on this chapter either, so if you see any mistakes, please feel free to point them out!
> 
> There's also spoilers for chapters 93-95 but they aren't too major. Also, please be warned that there is a moment of abuse in this chapter as well - So please keep that in mind before you read!

“I never actually thought that you’d be the one that’s less nervous about this than I am. I’m practically at my wits end and you’re acting as if this isn’t a big deal at all… It’s just weird to me.” Reiner looked down at the outfit he was wearing and let out a deep sigh. He was wearing a white button-up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of light brown dress pants that showed of the thickness of his thighs rather well, and he finished the outfit off with a pair of black dress shoes.

“I’ve been through alot worse than this. Meeting my boyfriends parents isn’t a very big deal to me at all.” Bertholdt smiled over at Reiner, his own outfit less formal than the one that Reiner was wearing. He was wearing a light brown turtleneck that had a picture of a little pumpkin on it, a pair of white slacks that wrapped around his legs rather tightly, his usual black glasses perched up high on his nose, and his outfit was finished off with a pair of light brown shoes that matched his sweater.

Reiner scratched the back of his neck with a bit of nervous laughter at the smile he was given by his boyfriend, and he could tell that there was a lot of truth behind the other boys words. His breath hitched a little in his throat when Bertholdt reached over and adjusted the collar of his shirt, his gaze soft as he chuckled lightly.

“You just need to settle your nerves a little bit. I thought that was what last night was supposed to be for? You seemed relaxed after we finished because you slept the whole night.” Bertholdt finished adjusting the collar of Reiner's shirt before he turned away and felt a dark blush cover his face at the memories of what happened between them last night.

“You're perfectly right. Maybe I'm just over thinking things and my mother and Gabi will love you, although my dad is a whole different problem in itself. I hope he isn't even there today.” Reiner walked up to the dark haired boy and wrapped his arms around his stomach, his face soon buried in between his shoulder blades as he took a deep breath to take in the boys addicting scent.

Bertholdt hummed when Reiner buried his face in his shoulder blades. He closed his eyes and leaned his body back against Reiner’s with a smile, and he raised his arms up so that he could place his hands over the ones that his lover had resting on his stomach just above the hem of his pants. He laughed when he felt the blonde haired boy rub his forehead back and forth while grinning wide.

“I don’t think we have anything to worry about. But we should probably get to your parents place before you get any more distracted.” Bertholdt chuckled again when he heard Reiner groan and pull away from the embrace. When he turned to look at the boy in question, his expression bright before he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his nose.

The dark blush that rose up on Bertholdt’s face after Reiner looked at him with a shocked expression on his face was almost comical, and he turned away to walk out of the room just as Reiner opened his mouth to speak to him.

_Oh my god. How can he be so fucking cute all the time?_

“Wait up!” Reiner shouted while Bertholdt continued to fast walk down the hallway, but he knew that he could never really be angry at the other boy. Once they both got down to the car, Reiner went up to the dark haired boy and stood up on the tips of his toes so that he could playfully press a kiss to his lips.

It seemed like all embarrassment coming from the two of them disappeared right at that moment. They looked into each other's eyes for what felt like hours before Bertholdt finally turned away, letting out another small huff of frustration while getting into the car.

“We really need to leave. If you keep distracting me than we'll be late and I'll never get to meet your parents.” Bertholdt had uttered those words before he closed the door to the car, which only managed to make Reiner laugh loudly while he walked over to the drivers side of the car and got into his own seat.

“Fine, fine. Let's get on with it before I really lose my nerves.” Reiner started the car and pulled out as he looked over at his boyfriend, and his heart constricted a little in his chest when Bertholdt was looking down at his phone with a look of discomfort.

He knew it would be best to not ask any questions while he was driving, so he decided that he would wait to bring this up until they were back at the dorms after the supper with his parents and Gabi.

_This is going to be interesting._

 

* * *

 

“Reiner! Aunt Karina, Reiner's finally here!” The loud and energetic voice of a young girl with black hair carried through the air, and she ran back to the house to yell out at the older lady who was cleaning up. The young girl, Gabi, ran out after she yelled before leaving the front door open and running over to the parked car.

As soon as he opened the door and got out of the car, Reiner was nearly knocked backwards with the force of the tackle that Gabi gave him. She started giggling joyfully when her cousin started rubbing her head affectionately, and he kept his hand there as he turned his head back and looked at the boy still sitting in the car nervously.

“Bert? I thought you said you weren't nervous about this? Now come on out and meet the family that I've told you so much about.” Reiner watched Bertholdt fidget a little more before finally getting out of the car, a loud squeak of surprise coming from him when he felt a small pair of arms wrap around his waist.

“Are you Reiner's new friend? If you are, than you're okay to me!” Gabi soon pulled away when she realized that the tall boy wasn't going to give her an affectionate head rub like her cousin had done to her earlier.

“He's a bit nervous, Gabi. I'll stay close to him while we go inside and see my mother.” Reiner walked up the nervous boy and held his hand in his tightly, squeezing it in reassurance to make sure that he knew that it would be okay. He had seemed a lot less nervous before, but now that they were at the house he almost became paralyzed with fear.

_It probably has a lot to do with why he was looking at his phone earlier. He was fine until that happened…_

Reiner led Bertholdt into the house behind an overly excited Gabi, who didn't care at all that she had left the front door open. Once they got into the house, Reiner was greeted by a small older lady with blonde hair. She wrapped her arms around him and stood on her toes so that she could place a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“It’s so nice to see you, my dear. Is this the boy you’ve always been talking about? You must be Bertholdt. I’m Reiner’s mother, Karina Braun.” The older lady pulled away from her son and reached her hand out to offer a handshake to the other boy, since she could obviously tell that he was a little squeamish about the idea of too much physical contact.

“Ah… Yes. It’s nice to finally meet you after hearing so much about you.” Bertholdt still felt a little awkward shaking the hand of somebody he didn’t really know, but he did so out of politeness and his need to please the mother of his boyfriend.

“So polite! He reminds me of your last boyfriend with how kind he was… His name was Eren, correct? Such a lovely boy. Your father adored him.” Karina pulled away from Bertholdt and looked over at Reiner, but she could see that he had his eyes narrowed at her with a look of annoyance on his face.

“I told you not to mention Eren, mom. Now let’s try and talk about something a little better than my past love life… Like, you know, my current one. Bertholdt is working hard to try and get into college, and his family moved here from Germany not too long ago. He’s only a year younger than I am, too.” Reiner looked over at his boyfriend and smiled when he saw the look of relief pass over his face. He could see that the dark haired boy was clearly more uncomfortable there than he had initially thought he’d be, although it seemed like he was slowly warming up as he stayed close to his lover.

The air in the house was soft and almost soothing. It was easy enough to tell that his father wasn’t there at the moment, and he tried to bask in the moment while his father was gone. He didn’t really care to ask where the man in question was, so he just held Bertholdt’s hand as they walked through the house and towards the living room to sit down on the couch.

Gabi grinned wide and sat down next to Reiner. She wrapped her arms around his chest and laughed loudly, her eyes wide with admiration when she looked up at Reiner. Her small body looked comical sitting next to Reiner’s larger one, and it was made obvious when there was a small chuckle coming from Karina.

“I’m glad that you’re still keeping up with your exercises. It’s not often that you get art students who look quite like you do… Speaking of your art, how have you been doing in school?” Karina sat down in the chair while wiping down her skirt. She looked genuinely interested in what her son was doing in school, despite the fact she initially wanted him to become a lawyer or to go to the military.

“I’ve been getting nothing but good grades and reviews from my teachers. Not that I’m trying to stroke my ego or anything, but that’s just how it is with my teachers. I’ve also spent a lot of my spare time drawing random things to pass the time. You know, I especially love to draw my little Berto here.” Reiner let out a small grunt of pain when he felt a sharp elbow in his side, but he just laughed it off when he heard Bertholdt let out a small grunt of frustration at the words.

“He’s not little! I don’t know why somebody would ever call him that!” Gabi got up from her spot next to Reiner so that she could take a closer look at the boy beside her cousin. She scrutinized him for a second before she smiled again, her brown eyes shining joyfully even though the dark haired boy started sweating in nervousness.

Reiner shook his head and placed a gentle hand on the little girls head to try and keep her a little more calm. The flow of how things were going at the moment would last forever, though, so Reiner tried to bask in the feeling before his father came in and ruined it with his abrasive attitude and resentment towards him for breaking up with Eren.

_I hate the fact that my father probably won’t give Bertholdt a chance because he put Eren on a fucking pedestal. That’s pretty rich, given the fact that he used to hate him more than anybody else._

“Gabi. You don’t need to call out what we can already see with the boy, and I’m sure that he gets told how tall he is all the time.” Karina shook her head when Gabi simply turned to her and stuck her tongue out playfully. The little girl ran off moments later and headed towards the room she always used while she stayed there, her door remaining open while she started yelling loudly.

Guess she’s bored with hanging out with a few adults.

“I guess she doesn’t like it when people point things out to her.” Reiner leaned closer to Bertholdt to try and get more of his warmth, and he sighed in content when the boy relaxed against his body in return.

“She’s a spirited little girl. It’s no wonder that her parents have us watch her quite a bit, but I don’t really mind. The only thing that worries me is when your father…” The older woman’s words started to die in her throat when the sound of a loud truck rumbled in the driveway, which was the first sign that the man Reiner was dreading to see was back at the house.

Bertholdt very clearly flinched when the front door was thrown open. The sound of a larger man coming through the house dropped everybody into silence, and it didn’t take long for that very same man to come into the living room so that he could see what exactly was going on in his house.

“So you really are here, Reiner. You finally decided to bring another boy back home? How many has that been since you left Eren?” His father narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, his stance aggressive as his son glared back at him hard enough to burn holes into him.

“He’s my first boyfriend since I left Eren. Just fucking drop it and let’s have a civil conversation.” Reiner grit his teeth together tightly while he watched the older man walk closer to him. It didn’t seem as if he was going to back down, and he didn’t like the attitude that his son was giving him.

“Don’t give me that attitude, boy. You’ve been nothing but a disappointment time and time again. First, you decide to become an artist instead of something that could actually make you money. Next, you decide to date and than subsequently break up with a boy who actually kept you in line. And now you bring home this boy? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that he was the son of that lunatic from Germany who paid his way out of murdering his youngest child. He sure fuckin’ looks like it.” His gaze shifted over to Bertholdt when he heard a hitch come from his throat. He growled before grabbing the collar of the dark haired boys sweater and pulling him up, his darkened expression only becoming worse when the boy just yelped in surprise. “You’re from Germany, right? Than it all makes sense. You look just like Damien Hoover.”

Reiner stood up and reached out to grab at his father’s wrists to try and pull them away from his boyfriend. The sound of Bertholdt yelling out and fighting against the hold of the larger man was enough to drive him into a frenzy, but his father was large enough to fight against Reiner’s hold and keep the one that he had on Bertholdt.

“Please stop! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Bertholdt continued to struggle against the hold that was on his sweater, though what spurred him into struggling more was the sight of Reiner trying what he could to pull his father’s hands away. The thought of Reiner being attacked just for saving him made his struggle even harder than before, but his struggling soon ended when he felt a sharp pain in his cheek before he fell down to the ground.

Reiner’s father had punched him.

Just like his own father and mother always did to him.

Bertholdt raised his hand up and touched the spot where he had been punched. His eyes widened in shock when he fully realized what had just happened to him, and he felt his entire body shake with fear as he stood up and ran out of the house in a frenzied panic.

“I’ll deal with you later. If you ever, and I mean _ever_ , touch him again. If you even breathe the same air as him again, I’ll castrate you and make you choke on your own blood.” Reiner made sure to give his father a heavy glare before running out of the house to look for his boyfriend.

“Bert! Bertholdt, please wait!” Reiner saw that Bertholdt was already running away and towards the direction of the dorm rooms. He ran as quickly as he could before the dark haired boy tried running across the street, and he regretted the instant he placed his hand on Bertholdt’s wrist. He yelled out and turned around to try and push at Reiner to get him to leave, but he soon figured out that there was no way he could overpower him.

“Shit… I'm sorry. Please, just listen to me for a second. I want to talk about what happened with my dad.” He felt his heart sink when Bertholdt just looked back at him with eyes that were wide with fear. There was no fighting involved as Reiner gently pulled him along back to the car, and he knew it would be best to drive back to the dorm to talk instead of sitting outside the house.

_I'll call my mom and Gabi to apologize later._

_Talking to Bertholdt is much more important._

The drive back to the dorm room was almost completely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the quiet hitches of breath that came from Bertholdt in an effort to hold back his tears. It was painful to make the drive without saying anything, but he knew that it would be best to wait until they could be in the comfort of their dorm room before they talked.

Once they got back into the room, Bertholdt made a beeline towards the bed so that he could sit down. Reiner grabbed the concealer that he always carried in his pocket and walked up to the shivering boy on the bed, his eyes widening in shock when he noticed just how bad the bruise really was.

It took up his entire right cheek.

“I'm sorry about what happened with my dad. There was a bit of time when he was nice, but that's only when I was dating Eren. For some reason he became attached to him, and the moment I broke up with Eren my father hated me. Blamed everything on me. I want to fucking kill him for what he did to you… My god, I'm so sorry.” Reiner could barely get the concealer on before he dropped it on the bed and curling his hands into fists, his fingers turning white as he tried to suppress the anger he was feeling towards his father.

“Your father wasn't wrong, though. My father did do all of those things… That's why we moved here. He used a lot of his money to pay his way through the trial, but our family was shamed upon so he decided to move here.” Bertholdt brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. He wrapped his arms around his legs and shook his head, his body shaking slightly from his effort to not keep crying.

Reiner felt like this couldn't get much worse. If all of that was really true like Bertholdt had said, it would explain why his dad was so violent towards the boy… Reiner had told his parents his boyfriends full name. The part that scared him most of all was that Bertholdt had been living with a father who was willing to kill him, and a mother who did nothing to stop it.

_I feel like I'm going to be sick._

“You wanted to know everything about me? I can tell you right now. Everything from the very beginning.” Bertholdt raised his head up and looked at Reiner, his expression broken as he reached out and rubbed slow circles on the other boys cheeks with his thumbs.

“Please don't hate me after this... I just want you to know the full truth about what your father said.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise more will be explained in the next chapter! I have been thinking about this part of the story for a long time and I'm happy that I finally get to type it out - It's just going to be hard!
> 
> Hopefully I can dish out another chapter at the same time next week! This was a blast to write, and I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it~
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


	11. Time to Keep a Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t you worry about that. Your father is a terrible person and I can’t even comprehend why he would do anything to hurt you or your little brother, but I’m not scared of him and I will fight until the very end to keep you safe.” Reiner took a deep breath and squeezed the dark haired boy hard, making sure that he knew that there was nothing but truth in those words.
> 
> There’s nothing in the world more important to him than keeping this beautiful boy safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be able to upload this later, so everybody gets it early! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter - This was very hard for me to type, but it had to be done. I know that things like abuse trigger a lot of people, so please keep that in mind when you read this chapter!
> 
> I'm happy to release this early! You all deserve the best because you've been such great people and I thank every single person who's read the story from day one - Thank you all! <3

“Are you sure you’ll be okay here? I know you’re sick, but mom and dad have been acting a little strange lately so they might not be able to take care of you.” Bertholdt looked at his little brother with a worried expression, but the other boy just looked at him and shook his head with a polite smile on his face.

“I’ll be okay. I already told you that dad will be gone most of the day and mom is harmless. I don’t think I can work properly with this headache.” The little boy, Noah, chuckled at his older brothers nervousness before reaching out and placing a gentle hand on his cheek. He patted it once as he nodded his head towards the door, obviously trying to tell him to leave or he’d be more than likely late for school.

Bertholdt smiled down at his brother and returned the friendly gesture of patting his cheek. He leaned down and kissed his forehead before pulling away and grabbing his school bag, looking back at the small boy one more time as he left the room and headed out of the house to go to school.

There was a continuous nagging feeling that was urging him to go back and check on his little brother, but he didn’t want to make the situation worse by going back and making his parents upset with him. He always remembered the disdain their father had towards little Noah for no particular reason, so leaving him alone was something that always terrified him.

_He’s all I really have left in this world, after all._

“He said he’ll be fine. I believe him. He’s always right about these kinds of things, after all.” Bertholdt mumbled to himself while he continued his walk to school at a fast pace, and it was obvious just by looking at him that he was nervous about something. It was times like this when he was thankful that most of the students at the school didn’t like him much to begin with.

That’s the first step in living the life of an introvert.

The worst part about going to school was trying to find a place to fit in. A place where you wouldn't be teased or ridiculed. Most of the kids at the school stayed far away from Bertholdt and Noah, because most of the people in the city knew just how volatile and unstable both of the Hoover parents were. That just made them assume that the two kids would turn out just as unstable and crazy as their parents.

“If that's what they want to think than that's fine. I'm not going to try and change their minds.” Bertholdt let out a quiet sigh as he walked into the school. He didn't bother to stop and talk to any of the other students while he walked to the room, and the teachers didn't bother him when he chose to stay inside rather than go outside to hang out with the other kids.

Once he sat down at his desk and placed his bag down at his feet, he looked out the window and watched as the other teenagers stood around outside while smoking and talking amongst themselves. He had known most of these kids since he was a kid, but he couldn't even tell anybody what their names were. It's not like it mattered in the end since it was his final year of highschool.

_Makes me wonder if I can take my little brother and run away from home once I graduate. I'm already eighteen, but I'm sure a thirteen year old boy wouldn't mind living with his big brother instead of his parents._

After the first morning bell finally rang, he turned his attention back to the front of the classroom and waited for the rest of the students and the teacher to filter in.

And even with that nagging feeling still going on in his head, Bertholdt knew he had no choice but to stay until the end of the school day.

 

* * *

 

“I can't believe that the day is finally done… Today felt more like an Olympic sport than an actual school day.” Bertholdt closed the door to his locker and slung his bag over his shoulder, his gaze remaining downcast as he walked through the hallways and out the school. He found one of the best perks about nobody really liking you was that nobody usually bothered you on your way out of school.

That’s the second step in living the life of an introvert.

The walk back to his house felt as if it was taking longer than usual, despite the fact that he was actually walking faster than usual. He had been texting his brother every chance he got during class and his breaks, and his brother always texted back right away. Although once it was just past two in the afternoon he stopped getting replies. The most likely scenario was that Noah had fallen asleep, but the nagging feeling in his mind wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to get that thought out of his head.

The thought of both his parents hurting Noah because he's sick.

“It looks like dad already came home… And there's no way mom would have left the house. I thought Noah told me that our dad would be gone most of the day, so why is he back already?” Bertholdt instantly felt a sense of dread go through him when he realized that his defenseless younger brother was home alone with their dad.

_That train of thought in itself scares me more than anything else._

He slowly approached the front door of the house and pushed it open. The first strange thing he noticed was that all the lights were off and the curtains were closed, even though it was clear that both his parents were home. The other strange thing he couldn't help but notice was that it was eerily silent in the house.

Bertholdt placed his bag down on the chair in the living room as he moved about the house, his footsteps shaky as he felt the fear continue to build up more and more. It wasn't too strange for the house to be quiet at this time, but there wasn't even the sound of their family cat running through the house.

_She always runs through the house when I come home…_

“Bertholdt? We need you to come over here for a moment.” The sound of his father's voice carried through the air, which only served to make the situation even more creepy than before. What made the panic start to set in was the fact that the voice seemed to be coming from Noah's bedroom.

“I'm coming.” Bertholdt didn't want to reply, but he figured that would be better for him than ignoring his father. After he somehow managed to make his way over to the bedroom with his shaky feet, he knocked on the door and waited to hear a response from either his parents or his little brother.

There was the sound of a few thumps coming from inside the room before it was cracked open just enough to make his father visible, his eyes narrowed as he gave his son a calculating look. Tension passed between them for a minute, the silence becoming almost unbearable for Bertholdt to handle.

And the first thing he noticed about his father once he looked down was that there was scratches and bruises all over his arms, which looked like somebody had been going after him with all their might. There also appeared to be a rather long scratch across his left cheek that was still bleeding.

“Oh good. It's just you. I need you to help me get rid of something that's been bothering me for a while… All I need you to do is come in here, grab what you need, and put it in the trunk of my car.” The older man finally pulled away from the door and walked into the room with quick steps.

Bertholdt took a deep breath before gaining the courage to walk into the room. Nothing really appeared to be out of the ordinary at first glance, but it didn't take him long to spot his little brother still laying in the bed. His gaze traced along the motionless body slowly to see if there was anything wrong with the boy. He eventually traced his gaze back up to the smaller boys stomach, and his own stomach dropped when he realized that Noah didn't appear to be breathing.

“Noah!” Bertholdt ran up to the bed and looked down at the face of his beautiful baby brother. His eyes started to water as he looked down at the motionless boy on the bed, whose face was covered in bruises and cuts that made him almost unrecognizable. What made his stomach drop completely was the bruises around his neck, which were still dark enough that you could see the exact shape of the fingers.

“He kept saying over and over again that he was going to run away with you someday. There was no way I was going to let that happen, because you're not ever going to be leaving this house for as long as I'm alive. This boy was a mistake anyway.” The tone of voice that his father used to speak to him was dark, his expression one of annoyance as he looked down at his younger sons lifeless body.

He tried almost desperately to keep the tears from falling as he lowered his hand down, his thumb sliding across the bruised and cut lips that had spoken to him only hours ago. Bertholdt looked up at his father and managed to hold back another choked noise before he spoke.

“I wasn't… I'm sorry. Could I please have a moment alone with him?” Bertholdt could clearly see that his father was debating on whether or not he should comply, and he was surprised when the older man just clicked his tongue in annoyance as he turned to leave the room. The last words his father said before he left the room was ‘You have only ten minutes.’

Bertholdt waited until his father was gone to look back at the battered up body of the small boy on the bed. He was thankful that Noah's eyes were closed, because this would be so much harder if he saw the look of fear that crossed his little brothers features as their father slowly beat him and strangled him to death.

His hand was shaky as he placed it on the top of Noah's head, the hair on his head still soft from when he had a bath that morning. He closed his eyes and kneeled down next to the bed so that he could bring their faces closer together.

The tears started to flow freely when he moved his head further up, their foreheads now touching as he tried what he could to keep the choked noises he was making from being too loud. It didn't take long for him to open his eyes up again and look down at Noah, but it only served to make his crying worse as he let the reality of the situation set in.

_We had been texting earlier about some plans of where to go once I graduated._

_We were going to run away from this place and never have to live in fear anymore… Our father must have seen texts. Does that make all of this my fault? If I hadn't been texting him, he might still be…_

“I'm so sorry. I promised to take you away, and now I'm the reason you're gone… God, I'm so sorry. I wish did more to keep you from this hell that we live in.” Bertholdt pulled away just far enough so that he could place his lips on Noah's forehead, just as he had done before he went to school.

Once Bertholdt pulled away from Noah, he turned away and let out a few more choked noises before he called out to his father.

“Let’s get this done and over with.”

 

* * *

 

“And everything else that happened after that is something I’d rather not remember. I was cleared of any involvement, my mother was in her room with the cat so she had nothing to do with it… My father, like your father said earlier, managed to pay his way through court. As far as the jury and the judge were concerned, somebody broke into the house to beat and strangle my little brother to death.” Bertholdt pulled his knees up so that they were now against his chest, his face buried in them as he tried to hold back the rush of emotions he was feeling.

Reiner was trying to comprehend all of what Bertholdt was telling him, but he felt as if his entire world had been flipped upside down in an instant. Not only did the man he love put up with the abuse from his parents that would more than likely end up killing him someday, he also thought that what happened to his little brother was his fault. He was staying with his parents because of the guilt he felt for what happened to Noah.

So he had spent all this time taking the beatings and telling himself that he deserved it, even though none of this was his fault? From the sounds of it that would’ve wound up happening regardless… And sadly there was nothing he could really do about it. You can’t be put on trial for a crime if you’ve already been cleared of it. Even if they found actual proof that you did it.

_My father is a fluffy little teddy bear compared to his father._

“Bertholdt, listen to me. Do you really think this is all your fault? That the reason he died was because of you?” Reiner waited patiently for Bertholdt’s reaction to see if that’s really what he was thinking, and it pained him when he saw that the other boy simply lifted his head up and looked at him with a tear stained face.

“He wanted to run away. If we hadn’t been talking about that while I was at school, he would still be here… I’ve been telling myself that all this time. That has to be the only reason it happened.” Bertholdt kept his head raised up, but his gaze soon shifted down to the bed as he let out a small hiccup from all the crying.

_There’s no way he can keep thinking that. Something has to change, and it has to change right now._

Reiner moved over so that he was now sitting beside Bertholdt, and he cautiously raised his arm up to wrap it around the other boys shoulders. He wasn’t surprised when there was a sound of shock and a small jump, though he refused to back away until he tried what he could to make this boy believe he was not at fault for this.

“Your father probably would have done this regardless. From what I heard on the phone the night I talked to your father, he just wanted to find a reason to keep you from leaving the house and building a life for yourself. If he could find a way to make you think this was your fault, you would do whatever you could to atone for the death of an innocent child. Honestly, I can’t tell you what kind of weird attachment your parents have towards you and why they insist on you staying with them until they die, but you need to understand that this isn’t your fault. Please.” Reiner turned Bertholdt around so that they were now facing each other, and he wrapped his arms around the other boys shoulders tightly. He buried his face in his hair and took a deep breath before tugging Bertholdt even closer to him.

There was a moment of silence that passed between the two of them before Bertholdt reached up and wrapped his own arms around Reiner’s shoulders, his sobbing getting louder as he really let the words sink in. Neither of them seemed to care about the awkward position or the fact that Reiner’s shoulder was now completely soaked with tears, but the position soon became a little more comfortable when Bertholdt pulled away a little bit so that their faces were now only inches apart from each other.

The fact that there was tear stains that messed up the concealer on Bertholdt’s face, he still looked as beautiful as he did before. His eyes were red and puffed up with tears, and there was a small broken smile on his face when he leaned forward and placed his lips against Reiner’s gently.

“You should become a poet. Your words are as kind and as perfect as you.” Bertholdt maneuvered himself around again so that he could bury his face in Reiner’s shoulder, which was now completely covered in tears and concealer stains. The shirt was very clearly ruined at that point and Reiner could really care less at that point.

_It doesn’t matter at all. Because if I can make Bertholdt smile and laugh again, if I can make him think that none of what happened to his brother was his fault, than I’ll be happy._

“I know my father is a terrible man. I want to hate him for what he did, but he is still my father. I wouldn’t be here right now if my father hadn’t come to my defense at the trial… And he keeps telling me that what happened to Noah will happen again to the next person who claims to love me. That’s why I never wanted to believe that you actually love me, because what if he takes you away? I can’t…” Bertholdt’s smile was gone a moment later, replaced with a furrowed brow and a few more quiet sobs.

“Don’t you worry about that. Your father is a terrible person and I can’t even comprehend why he would do anything to hurt you or your little brother, but I’m not scared of him and I will fight until the very end to keep you safe.” Reiner took a deep breath and squeezed the dark haired boy hard, making sure that he knew that there was nothing but truth in those words.

There’s nothing in the world more important to him than keeping this beautiful boy safe.

“Reiner… You’re so weird. You make any situation feel much more manageable by adding that little bit of chivalry into your words. Although I feel like there’s something important you need to see before you say another chivalrous line like that.” Bertholdt pulled away again before reaching into the front pocket of his pants, pulling out his phone and humming a strange tone while he looked through it.

Bertholdt looked down at his phone for another moment before let out a choked noise. He took a deep breath as he turned his phone around to let Reiner see exactly what it was that he was looking at. There was a picture of a small boy that had dark brown hair and bright green eyes, a wide smile on his face while the camera was pointed at him. Bertholdt had his arm wrapped around the small boys shoulders, a wide smile on his face as well as the picture was taken.

It didn’t take Reiner long to realize that this was a picture of Bertholdt and his little brother… A picture of little Noah.

He felt his heart sink at the sight.

“This was the last picture I took with him. It was taken a week before he died… That’s when we really started to talk about running away together so that we could live a better life. Now I just want to do what he wanted and be safe, but now I want to run away with you. Will you help me achieve that? If I asked you to drop everything and run away with me, would you do it?” Bertholdt looked at Reiner after he placed his phone back down on the bed. His eyes locked onto Reiner’s as he placed his hands on his cheeks, his gaze becoming filled with both fear and hope.

What Bertholdt didn’t know was that Reiner was willing to do all of that for him since they first met. He didn’t need to hear about everything that happened to his beautiful boyfriend, but that fueled his drive even more. The reason and the need to keep living on for this boy was the only thing that he cared about anymore.

_I’m even willing to kill for him. If it means he’ll be safe, I’ll do whatever it takes._

“I promise you all of that and more. So long as you’re happy, and so long as you’re safe, I’ll be happy. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the sake of your happiness.” Reiner leaned into the touch on his cheeks with a smile. After another minute of simply looking into each other's eyes, Reiner leaned forward and placed his lips over Bertholdt’s gently.

“I love you, Bertholdt. Never forget that. And never doubt that again.”

_Your father doesn’t scare me. If he wants to try and take you away from me, he’ll see just how much I’m willing to fight to keep you by my side._

_To keep you as my own._

_And I promise you that one day, we really will get married. No matter what._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this didn't come out badly! I got a lot of this chapter typed out at work so I didn't get a lot of time to check for typos... However, I did notice one before I actually uploaded this chapter! I feel proud of myself~
> 
> The next chapter will come out at the same time as all the other chapters before. I just needed to get this one out early because I'll be too busy later - Sometimes life sucks. ;.;
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter~! <3
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is... Maybe I could add a second chapter in here? I guess that really depends on if enough people want me to add one. Like I said earlier, I've already got the first two chapters written so I'm willing to post it.
> 
> That being said, I'm my own proofreader, so any mistakes made will be mine and they may not be noticed by me! So feel free to point out any mistakes so I can fix them~!
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://levi-daddy-yeager.tumblr.com/)


End file.
